Dizziness Handicap Inventory Scores in Aiding the Diagnosis between Horizontal and Posterior Canal Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
1 Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand
Affiliation : Visan Mahasitthiwat MD1
Objective : To identify the Dizziness Handicap Inventory [DHI] scores and items that can be differentiated in benign paroxysmal
positional vertigo [BPPV] patients between posterior canal BPPV [PCB] and horizontal canal BPPV [HCB].
Materials and Methods : A prospective cross-sectional study, the study subjects were patients presented at the otolaryngological
clinic at HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center, Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand. The setting was a tertiary
otolaryngology practice. The subjects were patients diagnosed with PCB or HCB using the Dix-Hallpike test and the supine roll test.
All the patients completed DHI forms at their (cid:976)irst visit prior to consultation and at the last visit. All cases were treated with proper
maneuver and followed-up until satisfactory clinical improvements and absence of positional induced nystagmus.
Results : Sixty-four patients had PCB, 50 had HCB during the study period between April 2015 and March 2017. The average DHI
scores for PCB and HCB were 38.91±22.21 and 48.12±19.55 (p-value 0.022), respectively. The p-values of the differences in the
average functional items, emotional items, and physical items between both groups were 0.028, 0.061, and 0.026, respectively.
Signi(cid:976)icant difference in the items with p-value <0.01 were item 7 (function, dif(cid:976)iculty reading) and 23 (emotion, depression).
Signi(cid:976)icant difference with p-value <0.001 was the combination of item 7 and 23.
Conclusion : The DHI scores of BPPV were higher for HCB than PCB. Moreover, the patients with BPPV who had the positive values
of items 7 and 23 may provide physicians with clue to look for HCB.
Keywords : Dizziness handicap inventory, Posterior canal, Horizontal canal, Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
