[Clinical characteristics of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo secondary to sudden deafness].

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the clinical characteristics of the benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) secondary to the sudden deafness (SD) and to explore pathogenetic mechanism.

METHOD: One hundred and seventy-eight cases of the SD in our department were retrospectively analyzed. They were all treated under the guidance of clinical guidelines.

RESULT: (1) In all these patient's with SD, there were 31 cases with BPPV secondary to the SD. There were 26 cases of BPPV of posterior semicircular canal and 5 cases of BPPV of lateral BPPV semicircular canal. All patients with BPPV were diagnosed as the same ears as the SD, including 16 cases on left sides and 15 on right sides. (2) The interval between the onset of SD and BPPV was less than one week in 27 cases, between one week and one month in 3 cases, and between one and three months in 1 case. (3) All patients with BPPV secondary to the SD were cured with Epley maneuver or Barbecue roll maneuver.

CONCLUSION: The occurrence of BPPV may follow SD, and the major of BPPV secondary to the SD occurs in the posterior semicircular canal. The canalith repositioning is an effective therapy to the secondary BPPV.