Vertigo is one of the most frequent reasons for consultation in daily
medical practice. Recent studies show that vertigo involves considerab
le social costs before being managed efficiently, as it is often incor
rectly diagnosed. Sometimes a psychiatric symptom, the original causes
are vestibular in Meniere's disease, vestibular neuritis, and benign
positional vertigo. Meniere's disease to some extent resembles that of
progressive autoimmune deafness. Soon, perhaps, the target of the lon
g-suspected immune reactions will be identified and specific treatment
s will be developed for the rapidly progressing forms. Benign paroxysm
al positional vertigo is certainly a favorite of practitioners because
the treatment is so simple. Not all vertigos are so easily cured, and
surgery must sometimes be performed. In most cases, retrolabyrinthine
vestibular neurectomy, with its acceptable risks, is the operation of
choice. New diagnostic techniques, such as dynamic posturography, are
interesting, but their use is not as yet clear.