Posterior semicircular canal occlusion for intractable benign positional vertigo: outcome in 55 ears in 53 patients operated upon over 20 years

Abstract

Posterior canal occlusion is a highly effective treatment for intractable benign positional vertigo, with what is probably an acceptable risk to hearing and balance: five of six patients will have no hearing problem and nine of 10 no balance problem after surgery.

A Geriatric Perspective on Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

“…Surgical options are pursued when debilitating posterior canal BPPV is unresponsive to repositioning maneuvers. One recent report noted that, of 5,364 individuals treated in a balance center, fewer than 1% warranted surgical consideration . Surgical options for intractable posterior canal BPPV include posterior ampullary (singular) nerve transaction and posterior semicircular canal occlusion (canal plugging) .…”

Bilateral posterior semi‐circular canal obliteration surgery for refractory benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in three patients

“…Although unilateral posterior canal occlusion has proved to be a relatively safe operation, when our first patient had their second‐sided occlusion we were unable to find any cases reported in the literature or through personal communications. Since then, 2 publications have occurred, describing small series of 2 and 6 patients from Australia and North America, respectively . To our knowledge, this is the first reported series of bilateral occlusions from the United Kingdom.…”

“…When the current series of cases began, there were no cases reported in the literature. Two small series have since been reported from America and Australia . This is the first published UK series to our knowledge.…”

“…As the movement of fluid is stopped, there is no stimulation of the cupula. Balance function is maintained without significant deficit as the posterior SCC of one side is effectively mirrored by the superior SCC of the opposite ear …”

“…Posterior semi‐circular canal occlusion surgery for such patients has been shown to be very effective since Parnes and McClure first described it . Unilateral surgery has been found to be generally safe, and a number of centres have shown that their long‐term results are acceptable …”