Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo after decompression sickness: a first case report and review of the literature

Dan-Goor, Eric; Eden, Julian C.P.; Wilson, Simon J.; Dangoor, Joseph; Wilson, Benjamin R.

doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2009.07.001

« Previous Next »American Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery
Volume 31, Issue 6 , Pages 476-478, November 2010

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo after decompression sickness: a first case report and review of the literature

Eric Dan-Goor, MB, BS, DCH, MRCGP
- The London Diving Chamber and Department of Hyperbaric Medicine, The Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth, London, England
- Corresponding author. The London Diving Chamber and Department of Hyperbaric Medicine, The Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth, 60 Grove End Road, NW8 9NH London, England. Tel.: +44 207 806 4000; fax: +44 207 806 4025.
Julian C.P. Eden, MB, BS, BSc, MRCGP
- The London Diving Chamber and Department of Hyperbaric Medicine, The Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth, London, England
Simon J. Wilson, LST
- The London Diving Chamber and Department of Hyperbaric Medicine, The Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth, London, England
Joseph Dangoor, MB, BS prov
- University College London School of Medicine, London, England
Benjamin R. Wilson, LST
- The London Diving Chamber and Department of Hyperbaric Medicine, The Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth, London, England

Received 3 May 2009 published online 27 August 2009.

Abstract

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is a common cause of vertigo. We describe a previously unreported case of this clinical entity in a young, fit recreational water diver, having experienced decompression illness. Full recovery occurred after hyperbaric recompression therapy, and he remained symptom free on 6-week follow-up. We review the literature and discuss the pathogenesis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, proposing that semicircular canal nitrogen bubble formation could have been the primary etiological event leading to this condition.