Vertigo: beyond dizziness

Vertigo is defined as a sensation of spinning instability. In paediatric practice, due to the difficulty of patients in expressing their symptoms (especially the younger ones), vertigo must be contemplated in the management of a patient presenting with instability, motion sickness, recurrent vomiting or paroxysmal episodes of irritability in toddlers.

The diagnosis of vertigo is clinical, and therefore requires a thorough history-taking and full physical examination. It is important to classify vertigo as peripheral or central, as they are managed differently, as well as differentiating acute from recurrent episodes. In addition, whenever possible, the evaluation should be completed with a neurologic and hearing examination by an ear-nose-throat (ENT) specialist.

We present a series of cases of peripheral vertigo diagnosed in the emergency department, based on which we review the main characteristics and aetiologies of peripheral vertigo in the paediatric population.