Peripheral Vestibular Disorders (Labyrinthine Disorders)

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is by far the most common vestibular type of vertigo, with an estimated incidence of 64 cases per 100,000 in total and 450/100,000 in the elderly (Bhattacharyya et al. 2008; von Brevern et al. 2007). There is a female-to-male ratio of 2:1 to 3:1. A diagnosis of BPPV is established in 17%–42% of patients with vertigo, depending on age (Hanley et al. 2001). The typical presentation of BPPV consists of brief spinning sensations, usually lasting less than 1 min. Some elderly patients report complaints of prolonged unsteadiness instead of the typical brief vertigo sensation (Batuecas-Caletrio et al. 2013).