Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about Vertigo.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero definals.com slash vertigo

or in the ear, nose and throat section of the zero definals surgery book. So let's get straight

into it. Vertigo is a descriptive term for a sensation that there's movement between the patient

and their environment. They may feel that they are moving or that the room is moving around them.

Often there is a horizontal spinning sensation which you can recreate by spinning around in circles

and then stopping abruptly.

Vertigo is often associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating and generally feeling unwell.

Let's talk about the pathophysiology of vertigo.

There are three sensory inputs that are responsible for maintaining balance and posture,

and these are vision, pro preception, and signals from the vestibular system.

Vertigo is caused by a mismatch between these sensory inputs.

The vestibular system is the most important sensory system to understand when you're learning about vertigo.

The vestibular apparatus is located in the inner ear.

It consists of three loops called the semicircular canals,

which are filled with a fluid called endolymph.

These semicircular canals are oriented in different directions

to detect various movements of the head.

As the head turns, the fluid shifts inside the canals. This fluid shift is detected by

tiny hairs called stereocilia, which are found in a section of the canal called the ampula.

This sensory input of shifting fluid is transmitted to the brain by the vestibular nerve and it lets the brain know that

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