The term vertigo comes etymologically from the word verteré, which means to shout. In other words, vertigo is the subjective sensation of spinning of objects or of the person himself. And it differs from the term dizziness because the subjective sensation of dizziness is much more unspecific: sensation of swaying, sensation of a boat, sensation of floating,…
The first term comes, in most cases, from a disorder in the central labyrinthine pathways, vestibular nerve, vestibule or semicircular canals.
While the cause of dizziness can be of many different kinds.
Peripheral vestibular vertigo begins with a spinning sensation of objects in the room or of the patient himself, which usually causes a nauseous sensation with or without vomiting. They are also often accompanied by acoustic sensations such as tinnitus and a sensation of tamponade as in labyrinth hydrops.
The causes of vertigo are varied. From an increase in the pressure of the labyrinthine fluids, an acute inflammatory process of the middle and/or inner ear to the complication of chronic otitis.
Both vertiginous sensation and dizziness require a study that includes the inner ear, and all those organs involved in vestibular normofunction including the arterial system that nourishes the ear and the vestibular nuclei.
Treatment will vary depending on the primary cause of the vertigo or dizziness. Most of them are amenable to medical treatment. But in some cases, surgical treatment is necessary.