Dix–Hallpike manoeuvre

System: Neurological Signs · All neurological signs

What it is — and how it is elicited

The patient is moved rapidly from sitting to lying with the head turned to one side and extended below the couch; vertigo with a torsional, beating nystagmus is a positive result.

What a positive finding suggests

Associated with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, caused by displaced crystals in a semicircular canal.

◈ Behind the name

Margaret R. Dix (1902–1991) and Charles Skinner Hallpike (1900–1979), British ear specialists.

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Please note: This page is an educational reference about clinical examination signs. A clinical sign supports — and never replaces — a full clinical evaluation, examination and appropriate testing. A sign being present does not by itself prove a diagnosis, and an absent sign does not rule one out. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a health professional.