Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo of the Horizontal Canal: A Form of Canalolithiasis with Variable Clinical Features

Abstract

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the horizontal semicircular canal (HC-BPPV) is a well-defined syndrome characterized by direction-changing horizontal positional nystagmus. We report the clinical features of 5 patients who illustrate the possible variables of the syndrome. In most cases, nystagmus is geotropic and more intense when the pathological ear is lowermost; less often the syndrome presents with apogeotropic nystagmus that is more intense when the affected ear is uppermost. The nystagmus pattern may vary in time in the same patient, changing from apogeotropic to geotropic even in observations at short intervals. In some patients, the features indicate involvement of more than one canal, either simultaneously or in succession. It is sustained that the clinical findings can be explained by movement of endolymph caused by displacement of otoconia in the semicircular canals and that variants are due to different positions of the otoconia within the canals.