1.6.2 Benign paroxysmal vertigo

A 5-year-old girl has had seven episodes to date over roughly a year, each lasting a few minutes; there is no warning before the episodes begin, and by her mother's account she is already at her most unsteady in the very first seconds, well before it eases off gradually. During the worst of these spells she has twice stumbled and needed to hold the wall, showing a wobbly, unsteady gait for the duration of the attack. She has never lost consciousness with any of these events, and each has settled completely on its own within ten minutes at most, leaving her back to her usual self. She is also known to have occasional headaches, for which no other cause was found on prior work-up. Neurological examination today, and on each occasion she has been seen between attacks, has been entirely normal, including gait and coordination. Her family describes these as recurrent dizzy spells.