Clinical and experimental emergency medicine
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Acute dizziness/vertigo is among the most common causes for visiting the emergency department. The traditional approach to dizziness starts with categorizing dizziness into four types: vertigo, presyncope, disequilibrium, and nonspecific dizziness. However, a recently proposed approach begins with classifying dizziness/vertigo as acute prolonged spontaneous dizziness/vertigo, recurrent spontaneous dizziness/vertigo, recurrent positional vertigo, or chronic persistent dizziness and imbalance. ⋯ Isolated positional vertigo is usually caused by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which can be treated at the bedside. In recent years, marked progress has occurred in the evaluation/management of acute dizziness/vertigo. However, even with developments in imaging technology, the diagnosis of acute dizziness/vertigo largely relies on bedside examination.