Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, is a common disorder causing short episodes of vertigo in response to changes in head position that stimulate the posterior semicircular canal of the inner ear.

• People briefly feel as it they or their surroundings are spinning when they move their head.
• People may also feel nauseated and vomit, and their eyes may move abnormally.
• Doctors base the diagnosis on symptoms and the situation in which they occur and a physical examination.
• The Epley maneuver, done once or twice, cures the disorder in most people.

Vertigo is a specific sensation of spinning. People with vertigo feel as if they, their surroundings, or both are moving or spinning.

A change in head position—typically turning the head over on the pillow on first awakening in the morning, or tipping the head backward to reach a high shelf—triggers most episodes of this disorder. BPPV usually develops when calcium particles that are normally embedded in one part of the inner ear (the utricle and saccule) are displaced and move into another part of the inner ear (the posterior semicircular canal). The inner ear contains three semicircular canals, which help with balance (see Biology of the Ears, Nose, and Throat: A Look Inside the Ear). The posterior canal, unlike the anterior and horizontal canals, is in the best position to receive most of the loose particles through gravity during the night. As they collect, they form a chalky sludge and may further form into a mass that exaggerates the movement of fluid in the canal when the head changes position. The result is overstimulation of nerve receptors (hair cells) inside the posterior canal, making the brain feel as if the head were moving much faster than it is. This information does not match that from the eyes and from position sensors in the joints. This mismatch results in a brief episode of vertigo. Particles may be displaced from the utricle and saccule as people age. Or, displacement may be caused by ear infections, injury, prolonged bed rest, ear surgery, head injury, or blockage of an artery to the inner ear.

This type of vertigo can be frightening, but it is usually harmless and disappears by itself. It may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and a specific type of nystagmus (the rapid jerking movement of the eyes in one direction alternating with a slower drift back to the original position). An episode of vertigo begins 5 to 10 seconds after the head moves and lasts less than a minute. Episodes usually subside on their own in weeks. Occasionally, they persist for months and can cause dehydration due to nausea and vomiting. No hearing loss or noise in the ears (tinnitus) occurs.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosis is based on a description of the symptoms and the circumstances in which they occur. The Dix-Hallpike maneuver stimulates the posterior canal. The person sits on the examining table with the head turned 45 degrees to the right. Then the person lies down backwards so that the head remains turned at 45 degrees and overhangs the examining table by about 20 degrees. In BPPV, there is a delay of about 5 to 10 seconds before vertigo and nystagmus are induced, but the delay may be as long as 30 seconds. Symptoms last 10 to 30 seconds. Visual fixation can shorten or even abolish nystagmus, so the maneuver is ideally performed with the person wearing Frenzel lenses (which make it impossible to visually fixate on anything). If the maneuver is repeated several times, the intensity of the vertigo and nystagmus decreases (habituation). In contrast, positional vertigo due to a central cause induces symptoms immediately. The vertigo persists as long as the head is held in the same position, and there is no habituation on repeating the maneuver. The Dix-Hallpike maneuver can thus be helpful to doctors in distinguishing benign ear-related causes, such as BPPV, from more serious central causes, such as stroke and multiple sclerosis.

BPPV is easily treated. The particles simply need to be moved out of the posterior semicircular canal and back to where they came from. This requires a somersault-like maneuver of the head in space. The maneuver is called the canalith repositioning maneuver or Epley maneuver, after the physician who pioneered it. This maneuver immediately cures the vertigo in about 90% of people. Repeating the maneuver cures an additional 5%. In some people, the vertigo recurs. If it does, the maneuver is repeated. People can be taught how to do the maneuver at home in case vertigo recurs. For the 5% of people who are not cured with the maneuver, drugs may be used. Very rarely, surgery is needed. Occasionally, the horizontal canal is affected, and rolling oneself like a log can relieve the symptoms.

The Epley Maneuver: A Simple Cure for a Common Cause of Vertigo Some people experience vertigo when they change the position of their head rapidly, as when rolling their head on the pillow, looking down to tie their shoes, or looking up to reach for an item on a high shelf. This vertigo is usually due to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). It occurs when tiny calcium particles are displaced from their normal location to form sludge, usually in the posterior semicircular canal (one of the canals in the inner ear). The disorder can often be cured by using the Epley maneuver to move the particles out of the canal and back to where they originated. In this maneuver, the person's body and head are moved into different positions, one after the other. Each position is maintained for about 30 seconds to allow the particles to move by gravity into a different part of the canal. To check if the maneuver worked, the person moves the head in the same way as previously caused vertigo. If vertigo does not occur, the maneuver worked. Remaining semiupright for 24 hours after the Epley maneuver, previously recommended, is no longer considered necessary. Finally, the head and body are turned even more, until the nose points down at the floor. The person then sits up but keeps the head turned to the far left. Once the person is upright, the head can face forward. First, with the person sitting, the head is turned about 45° to the right or left, depending on which side triggers the vertigo. The person then lies down with the head hanging over the edge of the examining table (or bed). The sludge triggers an exaggerated signal to the brain, resulting in vertigo. The head is turned further to the left, so that the ear is parallel to the floor. The head is then turned to the other side at the same angle.

Last full review/revision October 2007 by Michael Jacewicz, MD