Peripheral vestibular vertigo: clinical spectrum and review of Aetiological factors.

Vertigo constitutes a significant proportion of specialist otorhinolaryngological (ORL) outpatient practice although management may be multidisciplinary. Accurate diagnosis remains a challenge, often depending on clinical/neurootological examination, often with limited availability of costly and sophisticated diagnosticfacilities, the yields of which are often low.This report aims at creating a reference database for management of vertigo in the (ORL) Clinic. This is a retrospective chart review of vertigo patients seen in ORL outpatient clinic through 2001 to 2006. Clinical/neuroo-otological examination, radiology and audiometry were the major modalities of investigation. The prevalence of vertigo in the Oto- Rhino-Laryngology outpatient Clinic was 15% (134). There were 79 males and 55 females with peak age at presentation between the 3 and 4 decade of life. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo 33 (25%), Labyrinthitis 23(17%), menieres disease 19(14%) and cervical spondylosis 14(10.5%) were the leading clinical diagnoses. Trauma accounted for 35% of the aetiological factors while17%was idiopathic. Clinical examination remains the prime technique in accurate diagnosis of vertigo although contemporary diagnostic facilities may help. The spectrum of the non-traumatic and idiopathic cases suggest a need for immunogenetic study in the diagnosis. Keywords: Vertigo, clinical diagnosis, aetiology, outpatient review