Dizziness

Abstract

Dizziness is the quintessential symptom presentation in all of clinical medicine. It is a common reason that patients present to a physician. This chapter provides background information about the vestibular system, then reviews key aspects of history-taking and examination of the patient, then discusses specific disorders and common presentation types. Throughout the chapter the focus is on neurologic and vestibular disorders. Normal vestibular anatomy and physiology are discussed, followed by recommendations for history-taking and the physical examination. Specific disorders that cause dizziness are explored, along with common causes of non-specific dizziness. Common presentations are discussed, including acute severe dizziness, recurrent attacks, and recurrent positional vertigo. Finally, the chapter looks at laboratory investigations in diagnosis and management. Figures include population prevalence of dizziness symptoms, the anatomy of inner structures, primary afferent vestibular nerve activity, the head thrust test, the Dix-Hallpike maneuver, the supine positional test, the canalith repositioning procedure, and the barbecue roll maneuver. Tables list physiologic properties and clinical features of the components of the peripheral vestibular system, information to be acquired from history of the present illness, common symptoms patients report as dizziness, examination components, distinguishing among common peripheral and central vertigo syndromes, common causes of nonspecific dizziness, types of dizziness presentations, relevant imaging abnormalities on neuroimaging studies, vestibular testing components, and medical therapy for symptomatic dizziness. This review contains 8 highly rendered figures, 11 tables, and 69 references.