Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo secondary to inner ear disease.

OBJECTIVES: To contrast clinical characteristics of secondary benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (s-BPPV) with idiopathic BPPV (i-BPPV).

STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review.

SETTING: University hospital.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 718 patients whose medical records were reviewed had BPPV. Sixty-nine patients had existing inner ear diseases and thus were considered to have s-BPPV. We reviewed demographics, concurrent causative disorders, involved area, and response to particle repositioning maneuvers for these s-BPPV patients in comparison with i-BPPV subjects.

RESULTS: Female subjects with i-BPPV outnumbered male subjects by a ratio of 1.9:1, but there was no significant sex difference for s-BPPV patients. The diseases associated with s-BPPV were idiopathic sudden sensory hearing loss (ISSHL, 50.7%), Ménière's disease (MD, 28.9%) and unilateral vestibulopathy such as acute vestibular neuronitis and herpes zoster oticus (20.2%). The posterior canal was most commonly involved in both i-BPPV and s-BPPV. The horizontal canal was the second most common, followed by multi-canal involvement. However, MD-associated BPPV most commonly involved the lateral canal. The mean durations of treatment for i-BPPV and s-BPPV were 2.28 and 4.87 days, respectively. The mean duration of treatment was 6.28 days for ISSHL with BPPV, 5.07 days for BPPV with unilateral vestibulopathy, and 2.28 days for BPPV with MD.

CONCLUSION: The mean duration of treatment for BPPV with ISSHL or unilateral vestibulopathy was longer than for other groups. The different pathophysiologies of s-BPPV associated with different inner ear diseases may explain its diverse clinical features and courses.