PURPOSE: To delimit the approach to treatment among patients with vestibular complaints at an Academic Hospital. CASE REPORT: We evaluated 78 patients with vestibular complaints, who presented at the Balance Section at the Hospital University of Santa Maria (HUSM) during a 6-month period from 2012-2103. Of these individuals, 66 were selected for the sample: 26 men and 43 women, aged 20-84 years, with a mean age of 57.5 years. The general outcomes showed that 35 (53%) individuals were referred by a neurologist: 19 (54.29%) women (mean age, 55.3 years) and 16 (45.71%) men (mean age, 56.6 years). Twenty-nine (44%) were referred by an otorhinolaryngologist: 19 (65.52%) women (mean age, 55.4 years) and 10 (34.48%) men (mean age, 66.6 years). Two women (3%) were referred by a traumatologist (mean age, 58.5 years). Regarding the tests performed, 32 (48.5%) patients were subjected only to foam-laser dynamic posturography (FLP); 34 (51.5%) to FLP and vectoelectronystagmography. The patients were divided as follows: rotatory dizziness with associated headache (73%), rotatory dizziness without associated headache (12%), no rotatory dizziness (7.5%), dizziness associated with neurovegetative signals (SNV), dizziness associated with tinnitus (1.5%), and SNV alone (1.5%). CONCLUSION: The data showed that most vestibular evaluations were performed by neurologists; many were performed by otorhinolaryngologists. Most patients were women aged >50 years complaining of rotatory dizziness.
