[Vestibular vertigo]. / Vestibulyarnoe golovokruzhenie.

Vestibular vertigo is most often caused by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere's disease, vestibular neuritis, vestibular migraine or stroke. Features, diagnosis and treatment of vestibular vertigo in patients with these diseases are discussed. The authors analyze common diagnostic errors based on the data of 700 outpatients (205 men and 495 women, aged 25-88 years, mean age 55 years). It is noted that the cause of vertigo is often misdiagnosed with vertebral-basilar insufficiency, discirculatory encephalopathy, cervical spine pathology; at the same time, BPPV, Meniere's disease, vestibular neuritis or vestibular migraine is diagnosed less often. This fact reflects the lack of awareness of physicians about these diseases. BPPV, Meniere's disease and migraine are effectively treated and therefore their diagnosis and adequate treatment are of great importance.

[Non-drug therapy of vertigo]. / Nelekarstvennye metody lecheniia golovokruzheniia.

AIM: To study the efficacy of various methods of non-drug therapy of diseases manifested by vertigo and dizziness in neurological practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Referral and final diagnoses were compared after neurovestibular examination of 599 patients (177 men and 422 women), aged 25 to 79 years (mean age 55 years), with various causes of vertigo. Patients underwent vestibular rehabilitation, trainings on the stabiloplatform with biological feedback (biofeedback), repositioning maneuvers in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Severity of dizziness on a Visual analogue scale of dizziness (VAS-d) and balance on stabilography before and after a course of vestibular rehabilitation was analyzed. RESULTS: Before neurovestibular examination, the diagnoses of vertebrobasilar insufficiency (44%), hypertensive or atherosclerotic encephalopathy (35%), cervical spondyloarthrosis (8%), autonomic dystonia (11%)) are often considered mistakenly as the causes of vertigo and dizziness. After neurovestibular examination, the diagnoses were as follows: BPPV (39%), phobic postural vertigo (29%), Ménière's disease (14%), vestibular neuritis (11%), multisensory dizziness in elderly (5%). The effectiveness of repositioning maneuvers in BPPV was 90,2% after the first session and 100% after the second session. After a course of vestibular exercises and trainings on the stabiloplatform with biofeedback, there was the marked improvement in indicators of stabilography and VAS-d in patients with vestibular neuritis, Meniere's disease, phobic postural vertigo (p<0.05). Vestibular rehabilitation was most effective if started within the first month after vestibular neuritis. There was the high efficacy of complex rehabilitation, including vestibular exercises and trainings on stabilographic platform with biofeedback, in patients with Meniere's disease. In the rehabilitation of patients with phobic postural vertigo, better results were achieved when vestibular exercises were combined with trainings on stabilographic platform with biofeedback and psychotherapy. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated the low accuracy of diagnosis of diseases manifested by vertigo and dizziness and high efficacy of non-drug therapy in most cases, especially BPPV, vestibular neuritis, Meniere's disease, postural phobic vertigo.

[The peripheral vestibular disorders encountered in the routine out-patient practical work]. / Perifericheskie vestibuliarnye rasstroistva v ambulatornoi praktike.

The objective of the present study was to elucidate the frequency of causes underlying the development of dizziness and vertigo in the patients seeking advice and care at an outpatient healthcare facility. A total of 590 patients with complaints of dizziness and vertigo were examined. It was found out that the peripheral disorders of the vestibular analyzer were the most frequent causes of dizziness and vertigo in the majority of the examined patients. These conditions were documented to occur in more than 65% of the patients. The most common forms of peripheral vestibular disorders were benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Meniere's disease, and vestibular neuronitis. The central vestibular disorders occurred considerably less frequently than peripheral ones and were diagnosed only in 10.9% of the patients. The results of the study provided a basis for the development of the algorithm forthe bedside examination of the patients presenting with vertigo and dizziness associated with peripheral vestibular disorders. It is emphasized that such examination should include, besides the standard neurological studies, the neuro-otological tests making it possible to detect the most common forms of peripheral vestibular disorders.

[Diagnosis and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in common clinical practice]. / Diagnostika i lechenie bol'nykh s dobrokachestvennym paroksizmal'nym pozitsionnym golovokruzheniem v povsednevnoi klinicheskoi praktike.

AIM: To analyze typical medical practice in managing patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 33 patients (5 men and 28 women; mean age, 58 years) with BPPV who had been referred for consultation to the Medical Diagnostic Department, Clinic of Nervous Diseases, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, regarding for vertigo, were examined. Information about the disease before visiting the clinic, such as the duration of vertigo, its pattern, and triggers, previously established diagnoses, prescribed treatment and its efficacy, concomitant diseases, was analyzed. RESULTS: BPPV was not timely diagnosed in 93.9% of cases. The cause of vertigo was most commonly mistakenly assumed to be cerebrovascular disease (66.6%) and cervical spine pathology (15.1%). During a primary examination, none of the patients underwent positional tests (otoneurological examination) that formed the basis for the diagnosis of BPPV. Alternatively, 90.3% of cases underwent instrumental examination: magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, X-ray of the cervical spine, and ultrasonic duplex scanning of the brachiocephalic arteries. Ineffective diagnosis led to the choice of nonoptimal treatment tactics: instead of therapeutic repositioning maneuvers (RM), the patients received therapy with drugs, such as various vasoactive agents (84.8%), nootropic and chondroprotective drugs (12%), or muscle relaxants (9.1%). After BPPV was detected, all patients underwent curative RM, which resulted in regression of the disease. One-year follow-up of the patients showed that the therapeutic effect of RM persisted. CONCLUSION: Lack of effective and timely diagnosis of BPPV reflects physicians' poor awareness that this condition is the most common cause of vestibular vertigo. The role of vascular and cervicogenic factors in the development of vertigo is overestimated. Most patients with BPPV undergo unreasonable examinations and receive ineffective treatment. It is necessary to raise awareness of BPPV among of physicians and to set up specialized centers for the management of patients with dizziness.

[Seven principles in the treatment of vestibular vertigo and results of the study of VIRTUOSO]. / Sem' printsipov lecheniia vestibuliarnogo golovokruzheniia i rezul'taty issledovaniia.

This article reports the results of the international post-marketing observational program VIRTUOSO aimed at the evaluation of the efficacy of betahistine dihydrochloride at the dose of 48 mg/day for 1-2 months in patients with paroxysmal vertigo of various origins. The clinical response was rated as good, very good or excellent in 74.1% of the patients (p<0.001). Monthly vertigo attack frequency with betahistine decreased in average from 8.0 to 3.0 (p<0.001). Vertigo attack frequency further decreased during the 2-month follow-up after the end of betahistine treatment. No serious adverse effects of betahistine have been reported.