ABSTRACT
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the commonest presenting cause of vertigo with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 2.4%. The first clinical description of positional vertigo is attributed to Barany in 1921 and in 1952 Dix and Hallpike were the first to clearly describe the provoking maneuvers. Dix and Hallpike coined the term 'benign paroxysmal positional vertigo' in view of the associated benign (non-cancerous) origin and momentary (paroxysmal) bursts of intense vertigo upon head movements (positional). The hallmark of p-BPPV is vertigo lasting seconds with or without nausea and imbalance on lying down, sitting up from the lying position, or rolling in bed and when extending or flexing the neck. Patients with positional vertigo may have migrainous vertigo. Migrainous symptoms during the positional episodes, atypical features of positional nystagmus and frequent recurrence of symptoms may differentiate between BPPV and the central positional syndrome due to migraine.
