Vestibular System Practice Test

Canalith repositioning maneuvers aim to relocate the loose otoconia from the semicircular canals back into the utricle. Otoconia are crystals that normally reside in the utricle and saccule to sense gravity. When they drift into a semicircular canal, their presence makes the canal sensitive to head movements, causing spinning vertigo and abnormal eye movements. By guiding the head through a precise sequence of positions, gravity helps the crystals move along the canal and out into the utricle, where they no longer disrupt vestibular signaling. This directly addresses the abnormal stimulation causing vertigo, leading to symptom relief. The other options don’t fit because destroying otolithic organs would cause irreversible vestibular loss, reducing hearing isn’t the goal of these maneuvers, and widening the vestibular aqueduct would alter inner-ear fluid balance rather than correct displaced crystals.