Objective
To review the presentation, evaluation, and causes of vertigo in children.
Design
A retrospective review of children who presented with the chief complaint of vertigo.
Patients
Thirty-four children with a chief complaint of vertigo were seen in an ear, nose, and throat clinic during a 2
-year period.
Outcome Measures
Presenting symptoms, diagnostic tests, diagnoses established, and clinical course were evaluated.
Results
Otitis media, benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood, and migraine accounted for the vertigo in 50% of the children. Audiometry, tympanometry, and electronystagmography were the most helpful diagnostic tests, with abnormal results in seven, seven, and six patients, respectively. Of the 19 patients with adequate follow-up, 15 (79%) were improved or asymptomatic at the time of their last visit.
Conclusions
Peripheral causes of vertigo, eg, otitis media, were noted most commonly. Evaluation of vertigo should include a complete history and physical examination, an audiogram, and a tympanogram. In select cases, electronystagmography, electroencephalography, and scanning of the brain or temporal bone should be performed. A favorable outcome was noted in most cases.
(Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1995;121:911-915)
