Background: Dizziness is a common complaint in medicine. Nevertheless, there is a lack of valid data concerning the age and gender distribution of dizziness disorders within a larger population. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to undertake a representative epidemiological survey that examines all age groups of an entire population and describes the age and gender distribution of the most common peripheral vestibular disorders. Methods: A population-based epidemiological survey based on confirmed ICD-10 codes, of an entire national population was performed. The population-based data of 70,315,919 patients were leveraged, as provided by 123 statutory health insurance companies in Germany. Patients of all age groups were analyzed. Outcome measures were age and gender distribution and the prevalence of unspecific vertigo, Meniere's disease, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, vestibular neuritis, and other peripheral vestibular disorders. Results: The prevalence among the recorded diagnoses was 6.5% (6,461/100,000 individuals), with women (N = 2,973,323; 65.4%) being significantly more frequently affected by vertigo than men (N = 1,570,240; 34.6%; p < 0.001). Vertigo is rare in childhood (i.e., up to 10–14 yr of age). Subsequently, the prevalence of the analyzed diseases increases with age, up to a peak between 74 and 94 years. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that peripheral vestibular disorders are common in a developed country, across all age groups and a specific distribution of these disorders can be identified for every age group and gender. The impact of these disorders on the German healthcare system is currently underestimated.

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Previous analyses of aortic displacement and distension using computed tomography angiography (CTA) were performed on double-oblique multi-planar reformations and did not consider through-plane motion. The aim of this study was to overcome this limitation by using a novel computational approach for the assessment of thoracic aortic displacement and distension in their true four-dimensional extent. Vessel segmentation with landmark tracking was executed on CTA of 24 patients without evidence of aortic disease. Distension magnitudes and maximum displacement vectors (MDV) including their direction were analyzed at 5 aortic locations: left coronary artery (COR), mid-ascending aorta (ASC), brachiocephalic trunk (BCT), left subclavian artery (LSA), descending aorta (DES). Distension was highest for COR (2.3 ± 1.2 mm) and BCT (1.7 ± 1.1 mm) compared with ASC, LSA, and DES (p < 0.005). MDV decreased from COR to LSA (p < 0.005) and was highest for COR (6.2 ± 2.0 mm) and ASC (3.8 ± 1.9 mm). Displacement was directed towards left and anterior at COR and ASC. Craniocaudal displacement at COR and ASC was 1.3 ± 0.8 and 0.3 ± 0.3 mm. At BCT, LSA, and DES no predominant displacement direction was observable. Vessel displacement and wall distension are highest in the ascending aorta, and ascending aortic displacement is primarily directed towards left and anterior. Craniocaudal displacement remains low even close to the left cardiac ventricle.