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Benign positional vertigo and endolymphatic hydrops: what is the connection?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 June 2017

A F Jahn
A F Jahn*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Mount Sinai West Hospital, New York, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Dr A F Jahn, Department of Otolaryngology, Mt Sinai West Hospital, 1000 10th Ave, New York, NY 10019, USA E-mail: afjahn@aol.com
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Abstract

Background:

Although benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and endolymphatic hydrops are considered to be distinct diagnoses, a minority of vertiginous patients exhibit features of both conditions. This coincidence has been reported previously in the literature, and is reviewed here in terms of possible aetiology.

Results and conclusion:

A new hypothesis to account for both conditions is offered, implicating free-floating degenerating debris from the otolithic apparatus. It is postulated that the gelatinous/proteinaceous component may account for an osmotically induced hydrops, while the calcified fragments may induce positional vertigo.

Keywords

Endolymphatic HydropsBenign Positional Vertigo

Information

Type
Review Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 131 , Issue 8 , August 2017 , pp. 658 - 660
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2017 

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Footnotes

Presented at the 7th Asia Pacific Otology Neurotology Conference, 11–13 May 2016, Tehran, Iran.

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