Drop attack: is it an otolithic catastrophe of Tumarkin?
Have you ever suddenly dropped to the ground without warning — fully conscious, with no dizziness beforehand — and had no idea why? You may have experienced an otolithic catastrophe of Tumarkin, a dramatic but recognizable feature of Ménière's disease. In this free course, we explain what these episodes are, why they happen, how to recognize them, and what can be done about them. If this has happened to you, this course may finally give it a name.
This material is intended for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for evaluation by a qualified medical professional.
We reviewed the literature (so that you don't have to)!
The original 1936 paper that named this condition:
- Tumarkin A (1936) The Otolithic Catastrophe: A New Syndrome. Br Med J 2: 175-7.
A brief biography of the physician who first described this syndrome:
- Hood D (1991) Obituary—Alexis Tumarkin 1900–90. British Journal of Audiology 25: 217-217. doi: 10.3109/03005369109076593
Other literature on this topic:
- Black FO, Effron MZ, Burns DS (1982) Diagnosis and management of drop attacks of vestibular origin: Tumarkin's otolithic crisis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 90: 256-62. doi: 10.1177/019459988209000221
- Janzen VD, Russell RD (1988) Conservative management of Tumarkin's otolithic crisis. J Otolaryngol 17: 359-61
- Kentala E, Havia M, Pyykkö I (2001) Short-lasting drop attacks in Meniere's disease. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 124: 526-30. doi: 10.1067/mhn.2001.115169
- Kutlubaev MA, Xu Y, Manchaiah V, Zou J, Pyykkö I (2022) Vestibular drop attacks in Ménière's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of frequency, correlates and consequences. J Vestib Res 32: 171-182. doi: 10.3233/ves-201514
- Lelonge Y, Karkas A, Peyron R, Reynard P, Convers P, Bertholon P (2021) Clinical Features and Management of Drop Attacks in Menière's Disease. Special Emphasis on the Possible Occurrence of Vertigo After the Drop Attacks. Otol Neurotol 42: 1269-1274. doi: 10.1097/mao.0000000000003174
- Pace A, Iannella G, Rossetti V, Colizza A, Magliulo G (2020) Vestibular drop attack: A potential origin from perilymphatic fistula? Med Hypotheses 140: 109668. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109668
- Pérez-Carbonell T, Orts-Alborch M, Pérez-Guillén V, Tenías-Burillo JM, Pla-Gil I, Marco-Algarra J, Pérez-Garrigues H (2023) A longitudinal study of unilateral Ménière's disease and clinical evolutionary models. J Laryngol Otol 137: 629-636. doi: 10.1017/s0022215122001773
- Véleine Y, Brenet E, Labrousse M, Chays A, Bazin A, Kleiber JC, Dubernard X (2022) Long-term efficacy of vestibular neurotomy in disabling Ménière's disease and Tumarkin drop attacks. J Neurosurg 137: 1034-1040. doi: 10.3171/2021.10.Jns21145
- Wu Q, Li X, Sha Y, Dai C (2019) Clinical features and management of Meniere's disease patients with drop attacks. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 276: 665-672. doi: 10.1007/s00405-018-5260-5
