SCREENING FOR ALCOHOLISM IN GENERAL MEDICAL PATIENTS

Medical patients (N = 108) were administered a brief screeninginstrument (LAMSI) and a structured diagnostic interview (SUDDS).Twenty-five patients met DSM-III criteria for an alcohol usedisorder, 20 current, five in remission. The four-item scaleembedded in the screen identified the alcoholics with 88% sensitivityand 96% specificity.     

Fenestration and occlusion of the posterior semicircular canal for benign positional vertigo

Benign positional vertigo is a potentially disabling condition characterized by episodic vertigo following certain provocative head movements. In most patients it is self limiting; however, in a few it may prove intractable, causing considerable social morbidity. In these patients surgery may be considered. Surgery previously involved section of the vestibular or singular nerves, involving a significant risk to hearing and to the facial nerve. Ablation of the labyrinth may even be considered. The new surgical technique of occlusion of the posterior semicircular canal has proved to be curative in most patients with benign positional vertigo with little risk to hearing. This paper describes our experience of fenestration and occlusion of the posterior semicircular canal in four patients.