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ObjectiveThis study aims to estimate the incidence of Vestibular neuritis (VN) in three different districts in Italy, its epidemiological features, and the prevalence of comorbidities associated with it.MethodsAn observational prospective study of 198 patients referred to ENT departments in Siena, Grosseto, and Cuneo was carried out over a 2-year period. Each patient underwent a complete otoneurologic examination in the first 48 h from the onset of symptoms and a brain MRI in the early stages of the disease. The follow-up lasted for 1 year.ResultsThe total VN incidence rate of the three municipalities was 48.497 (95% CI: 48.395–48.598) and its standardized value was 53.564 (95% CI: 53.463–53.666). The total VN incidence rate for the whole sample (municipality and district of the three centers) was 18.218 (95% CI: 18.164–18.272), and its standardized value was 20.185 (95% CI: 20.129–20.241). A significant difference was highlighted between patients living in the city compared to those living in the surrounding area (p < 0.000), this may be due to the ease of reaching the otoneurological referral center.ConclusionThe total incidence rate for the three municipalities was 48.497. This result is higher than previously reported studies.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the peripheral vestibular disorder that is most frequently encountered in routine neuro-otological practice. Among the three semicircular canals, the lateral semicircular canal (LSC) is the second most frequently interested in the pathological process. In most cases, LSC BPPV is attributable to a canalithiasis or cupulolithiasis mechanism. The clinical picture of LSC BPPV is that of positional nystagmus and vertigo evoked by turning the head from the supine to the side lateral position. With such a movement, a horizontal positional (and often also paroxysmal) direction-changing nystagmus is generated. Depending on whether the pathogenetic mechanism is that of canalithiasis or cupulolithiasis and depending on where the dense particles are located, LSC BPPV direction-changing positional nystagmus is geotropic or apogeotropic on both lateral sides. Due to its mechanical nature, BPPV is effectively treated by means of physical therapy. In the case of a LSC BPPV, one of the most effective therapies is the forced prolonged position (FPP), in which the patient is invited to lie for 12 h on the lateral side on which vertigo and nystagmus are less intense, to move the canaliths out from the canal (or to shift them inside of the canal from one tract to another) exploiting the force of gravity. Despite its efficacy, FPP is not always well tolerated by every patient, and it cannot be done during the diagnostic session because of its duration. The present study aimed to verify the efficacy of a different forced position, shortened forced position (SFP), with respect to the original FPP. SFP treatment would allow patients to more easily bear the forced position and physicians to control the outcome almost immediately, possibly enabling them to dismiss patients without vertigo. After 1 h of lying on the side where vertigo and nystagmus are the less intense, 38 out of 53 (71.7%) patients treated with SFP were either healed or improved. Although the outcomes are not as satisfying as those of the original FPP, SFP should be considered as a therapeutic prospect, especially by those physicians who work in collaboration with emergency departments or otherwise encounter acute patients to cure them of vertigo as soon as possible.

Age-related degeneration of the vestibular system, also known as presbyastasis, leads to unstable gait and higher risk of falls. These conditions affect lifestyle and may have non-negligible social repercussions due to fear-related states of anxiety and depression. In order to develop a model for predicting risk of falls, we assessed vestibulo-ocular function by video and functional Head Impulse Tests (vHIT and fHIT) and their possible correlations with Tinetti Balance Test score. Thirty-one patients over 65 years of age admitted with trauma due to falls were recruited. Vestibular evaluation (complete otoneurological assessment, vHIT, fHIT), cognitive tests (Mini Mental State Examination), anxiety and depression evaluation and Tinetti Balance Test were performed. The possibility of a correlation between the head impulse tests (vHIT, fHIT) and the Tinetti Balance Test was investigated by logistic regression analysis (Nagelkerke r2 and Wald test). A linear correlation was found between the Tinetti Balance Test score and fHIT, whereas no correlation was found for vHIT. Functional HIT is an effective test for predicting the risk of falls in elderly patients.

Vestibular migraine (VM) is an increasingly recognized pathology yet remains as an underdiagnosed cause of vestibular disorders. While current diagnostic criteria are codified in the 2012 Barany Society document and included in the third edition of the international classification of headache disorders, the pathophysiology of this disorder is still elusive. The Association for Migraine Disorders hosted a multidisciplinary, international expert workshop in October 2020 and identified seven current care gaps that the scientific community needs to resolve, including a better understanding of the range of symptoms and phenotypes of VM, the lack of a diagnostic marker, a better understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms, as well as the lack of clear recommendations for interventions (nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic) and finally, the need for specific outcome measures that will guide clinicians as well as research into the efficacy of interventions. The expert group issued several recommendations to address those areas including establishing a global VM registry, creating an improved diagnostic algorithm using available vestibular tests as well as others that are in development, conducting appropriate trials of high quality to validate current clinically available treatment and fostering collaborative efforts to elucidate the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying VM, specifically the role of the trigemino-vascular pathways.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of the Sémont maneuver (SM) with the new “SémontPLUS maneuver” (SM+) in patients with posterior canal BPPV canalolithiasis (pcBPPVcan).Methods and Patients: In a prospective trinational (Germany, Italy, and Belgium) randomized trial, patients with pcBPPVcan were randomly assigned to SM or SM+; SM+ means overextension of the head by 60+° below earth horizontal line during the movement of the patient toward the affected side. The first maneuver was done by the physician, and the subsequent maneuvers by the patients 9 times/day on their own. Each morning the patient documented whether vertigo could be induced. The primary endpoints were: “How long (in days) does it take until no attacks can be induced?” and “What is the efficacy of a single SM/SM+?”Results: In the 194 patients analyzed (96 SM, 98 SM+), it took 2 days (median, range 1–21 days, mean 3.6 days) for recovery with SM and 1 day (median, range 1-8 days, mean 1.8 days) with SM+ (p = 0.001, Mann-Whitney U-test). There was no difference in the second primary endpoint (chi2-test, p = 0.39).Interpretation: This prospective trial shows that SM+ is more effective than SM when repeated therapeutic maneuvers are performed but not when a single maneuver is performed. It also supports the hypothesis of the biophysical model: overextension of the head during step 2 brings the clot of otoconia beyond the vertex of the canal, which increases the effectivity.Classification of Evidence: This study provides Class I evidence that SM+ is superior to SM for multiple treatment maneuvers of pcBPPVcan.

The aim of the present study is to report the outcomes of round window reinforcement surgery performed with the application of a Vibrant Soundbridge middle ear implant (VSB; MED-EL) in a patient with superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) who presented with recurrent vertigo, Tullio phenomenon, Hennebert's sign, bone conduction hypersensitivity, and bilateral moderate to severe mixed hearing loss. Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) confirmed bilateral superior semicircular canal dehiscence while this was not seen in magnetic resonance imaging. The surgical procedure was performed in the right ear as it had worse vestibular and auditory symptoms, a poorer hearing threshold, and greatly altered HRCT and VEMPs findings. With local-assisted anesthesia, round window reinforcement surgery (plugging) with perichondrium was performed with simultaneous positioning of a VSB on the round window niche. At the one and 3 months follow-up after surgery, VSB-aided hearing threshold in the right ear improved to mild, and loud sounds did not elicit either dizziness or pain in the patient.

Migraine is a common neurological disorder characterized by episodic headaches with specific features, presenting familial aggregation. Migraine is associated with episodic vertigo, named Vestibular Migraine (VM) whose diagnosis mainly rely on clinical history showing a temporary association of symptoms. Some patient refers symptoms occurring in pediatric age, defined “episodic symptoms which may be associated with migraine.” The aim of this cross sectional observational study was to assess migraine-related clinical features in VM subjects. For the purpose, 279 patients were recruited in different centers in Europe; data were collected by a senior neurologist or ENT specialist through a structured questionnaire. The age of onset of migraine was 21.8 ± 9. The duration of headaches was lower than 24 h in 79.1% of cases. Symptoms accompanying migrainous headaches were, in order of frequency, nausea (79.9%), phonophobia (54.5%), photophobia (53.8%), vomiting (29%), lightheadedness (21.1%). Visual or other auras were reported by 25.4% of subjects. A familial aggregation was referred by 67.4%, while migraine precursors were reported by 52.3% of subjects. Patients reporting nausea and vomiting during headaches more frequently experienced the same symptoms during vertigo. Comparing our results in VM subjects with previously published papers in migraine sufferers, our patients presented a lower duration of headaches and a higher rate of familial aggregation; moreover some common characters were observed in headache and vertigo attacks for accompanying symptoms like nausea and vomiting and clustering of attacks.

Neurophysiological measurements of the vestibular function for diagnosis and follow-up evaluations provide an objective assessment, which, unfortunately, does not necessarily correlate with the patients’ self-feeling. The literature provides many questionnaires to assess the outcome of rehabilitation programs for disequilibrium, but only for the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) is an Italian translation available, validated on a small group of patients suffering from a peripheral acute vertigo. We translated and validated the reliability and validity of the DHI, the Situational Vertigo Questionnaire (SVQ), and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) in 316 Italian patients complaining of dizziness due either to a peripheral or to a central vestibular deficit, or in whom vestibular signs were undetectable by means of instrumental testing or clinical evaluation. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha, the homogeneity index, and test–retest reproducibility, confirmed reliability of the Italian version of the three questionnaires. Validity was confirmed by correlation test between questionnaire scores. Correlations with clinical variables suggested that they can be used as a complementary tool for the assessment of vestibular symptoms. In conclusion, the Italian versions of DHI, SVQ, and ABC are reliable and valid questionnaires for assessing the impact of dizziness on the quality of life of Italian patients with peripheral or central vestibular deficit.