Epley's manoeuvre for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: a prospective study.
The treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) by the Epley, canalith repositioning, manoeuvre was popularized following clinical reports which demonstrated a significant success rate. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is considered a self-limiting disease, yet only few authors have analysed the effect of this manoeuvre in randomized, controlled terms. A prospective 3-year, controlled study of patients with BPPV of long duration (mean = 6 months) verified its benefit: the recovery course differed significantly between a group of 31 patients treated with the manoeuvre and a control group of 10 untreated patients. Symptoms subsided within 72 h in 35% and within a week in 74% of patients after one session of treatment. Only two treated patients (6.5%) did not recover versus a 50% failure rate among untreated patients (P = 0.0005). The rate of recovery was not affected by the duration of symptoms before initiation of treatment, or by the patient's age and gender.
Wolf
M
M
Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Hertanu
T
T
Novikov
I
I
Kronenberg
J
J
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012665:Semicircular Canals; D013997:Time Factors; D014717:Vertigo / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000534:rehabilitation