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Benign Positional Vertigo (BPV)

Our clinic treats many ear problems that cause dizziness. The most common ear problem causing dizziness is called benign positional vertigo, or BPV. The treatment for this is a painless maneuver that can be performed in our office. We have created a clinic specifically devoted to treating this disease.

WHAT CAUSES BPV?
Benign positional vertigo, or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, is a simple mechanical problem in the inner ear. Each ear has a small gravity-sensing organ called the "otolith organ" that is able to sense gravity because it has a bed of tiny crystals on it that are relatively heavy. As you tilt your head, the crystals move, signaling the tilting to your brain. Each ear also contains three sensors called "semicircular canals" to allow you to sense spinning. Each spinning sensor is shaped like a ring and is filled with fluid. There is a small opening for each ring near the gavity sensor. Every now and then, some of the crystals from the gravity sensor slip into one of these rings. When that happens, the person will have symptoms of BPV.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF BPV?
You should be able to recognize these symptoms yourself:

• You can make a dizzy spell happen by making a certain movement:
  The movements most likely to cause spells are rolling over in bed, lying down, sitting up quickly, bending over forward, or tipping the head up. If you are not moving at all, the dizziness stops.
• The dizzy spells are short in duration:
  Spells last from a few seconds up to a minute. You can have several of these spells in a row if you keep making movements that trigger them.
• You feel a strong spinning feeling during the spell, or even see the room spinning around you:
  All the spells should feel about the same. Some spells can cause nausea.
• You haven't noticed any recent changes in your hearing, or new ringing in your ears:
  BPV has no effect on hearing. If your hearing has changed recently, you may need to be seen in our regular dizziness clinic.

HOW IS BPV TREATED?
Because BPV is caused when crystals move into a spinning sensor, it can be cured by removing the crystals from this sensor. We do this in our office by moving you in a certain way. We will help you to lie down, roll over, lie on your side, and turn your head during this maneuver.

During the maneuver, you will feel dizziness. Dizziness is triggered whenever the crystals are in motion, and means that the procedure is working properly. The maneuver will be repeated until all the crystals have been removed. At that point, you will no longer feel dizziness. You will receive instructions on how to help prevent attacks in the future. Dr. Carol Foster is our specialist who treats this disease at the Marion Downs Hearing Center.

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