Vertigo Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vertigo, including details on causes, symptoms, treatment, dizziness.

Fluid-particle dynamics in canalithiasis.

Obrist D, Hegemann S

Institute of Fluid Dynamics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.

The semicircular canals (SCCs; located in the inner ear) are the primary sensors for angular motion. Angular head movements induce a fluid flow in the SCCs. This flow is detected by afferent hair cells inside the SCCs. Canalithiasis is a condition where small particles disturb this flow, which leads to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (top-shelf vertigo).The present work investigates the interaction between the fluid flow and the particles on the basis of an idealized analytical model. Numerical solutions of the full model and a thorough analytical study of the linearized model reveal the principal mechanisms of canalithiasis. We propose a set of dimensionless numbers to characterize canalithiasis and derive explicit expressions connecting these dimensionless numbers directly to the typical clinical symptoms.

Published 5 March 2008 in J R Soc Interface.
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