Dizziness is a broad term used by patient to describe a range of sensations that include vertigo, presyncope, imbalance sensation and light-headedness. Vertigo describes a spinning sensation but sometimes a sensation of falling or pitching. Presyncope is a result of decrease global perfusion to the brain resulting in near fainting sensation (syncope is a transient loss of consciousness due to decrease perfusion to brain). Sensation of imbalance describes dysequilibrium and is usually of a central cause such as the brain and brain stem. Patients and with mental health can also describe a sensation of light-headedness often as a result hyperventilation or emotion stress.
Remember Vertigo is not only caused by pathology in the vestibular system but can also be caused by cerebellar and neurodegenerative disorders.
Light-headedness (sensation of disconnection from the environment)
Psychological disorder
Anxiety Depression
Vertigo
Vertigo is sensation of false movement, generally described as rotation or spinning sensation. It is caused by asymmetry of neural activity between the right and left vestibular nuclei located in the brainstem. Bilateral damage does not cause vertigo. Essential to determine if the vertigo is central or peripheral since cerebellar infarction/haemorrhage can present as vertigo and can be life-threatening.
Remember Vertigo describes a spinning sensation but sometimes a sensation of falling or pitching. Presyncope is a result of decrease global perfusion to the brain resulting in near fainting sensation.
Peripheral causes of vertigo (suggest inner ear pathology)
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
Vestibular neuritis
Meniere’s disease
Otosclerosis
Cholesteatoma
Perilymph fistula
Aminoglycoside ototoxicity
Central causes of vertigo
Vestibular migraine
Multiple sclerosis
Tumour
Cerebellar Stroke – especially involving the vertebrobasilar artery
Peripheral features
Central features
Vertigo improves with visual fixation
Vertigo does not improve with visual fixation
Hearing loss
Ataxia
Tinnitus
Visual field loss
Aural fullness
Diplopia
Positive impulse test
Limb weakness
Unidirectional horizontal nystagmus
Dysarthria
Dysphagia
Nystagmus all directions (especially vertical nystagmus and horizontal nystagmus that changes direction with gaze)
Differential diagnosis of acute vertigo
Acute vestibular neuritis
Labyrinth infarction
Perilymph fistula
Brainstem and cerebellar infarction
Differential Diagnosis of recurrent acute vertigo
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
Meniere disease
Migraine
Vestibular schwannoma (slowly progressive)
Approach to someone with vertigo
History
Unilateral or bilateral
Acute or chronic or progressive
Spontaneous vertigo (present when head is stationary) or motion induced vertigo
Head movement likely BPPV
Standing up likely orthostatic hypotension → dizziness
Spontaneous or positional
Duration of each vertigo spell?
Signs and symptoms of stroke (dysarthria, limb weakness, blurry vision) – central cause
Associated Otological symptoms
Hearing loss, aural pressure with tinnitus likely Meniere’s Disease
Hearing loss, nausea and vomiting +/- tinnitus likely labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis
Hearing loss can also be associated with viral infection and ototoxic medications
Hearing loss and otitis media can be associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis
Seconds
Minutes-Hours
Days
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
Meniere’s Disease
Brainstem or cerebellar infarction
Perilymph fistula (trauma)
Vestibular migraine
Labyrinthitis
TIA
Multiple sclerosis
Vestibular neuritis
Preceding history
History of viral infection likely labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis
History of travelling prior to onset of symptoms associated with mal de debarquement syndrome
History of trauma likely perilymph fistula
Other associated signs and symptoms
Past medical history
History of migraines may have vestibular migraine
Cancer history with dizziness, nausea and vomiting, ataxia, dysarthria, dysphagia and nystagmus can indicate paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration
Medications
Aminoglycosides leading to ototoxicity
Antihypertensive agents can cause presyncope → dizziness
Alcohol intoxication
Family History
Migraines
Friedreich’s ataxia
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease → cerebellar stroke
Examination – check cerebellar signs too
Titubation – slow frequency bobbing of head and trunk
Head tilt – patient tilts the head to the unaffected side to minimise diplopia.
Horner’s syndrome – seen in brainstem strokes which accompany brainstem strokes
Gait – ?ataxia
Eye movements
Looking at a fixed object – look for nystagmus or saccadic intrusions
Peripheral vertigo – Horizontal nystagmus that beats away from the lesioned side
Central vertigo – bidirectional, vertical or torsional vertigo
Pursuit – ability to follow a smoothly moving target
Saccades – ability to look back and forth accurately between two targets (
Ear examination
Fistula test – checking for evidence of perilymphatic fistula but also can be positive in cholesteotoma
Head impulse test (to differentiate vestibular neuritis and central causes of vertigo)
HINTS (horizontal head, impulse test, typical peripheral nystagmus, absence of skew deviation, and normal hearing)
Dix-Hallpike maneuver (testing for BPPV)
Rhomberg’s test
Upright stance relies on vision, proprioception, and vestibulospinal contributions
Distribution of any of the three can affect gait and stance.
Unterberger test is performed by asking the patient to march in place with eyes closed for 30 seconds and noting any excessive turning to the side of vestibular impairment.
Cranial nerve examination
Upper and lower limb neurological examination
Postural blood pressure and auscultations
Remember Poor pursuit or inaccurate saccades usually indicate central pathology.
Investigation
ECG
CT scan
MRI scan
Remember all patients suspected of central cause should get a CT and better MRI scan.
Discussion