title: Body balance in elderly patients, 12 months after treatment for BPPV.
abstract: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is highly prevalent in the elderly population, triggering major changes in body balance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the results obtained from static posturography in the elderly before and after otoliths repositioning maneuvers and 12 months after treatment onset.
  
  
  METHODS
  longitudinal, descriptive and analytical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Elderly patients with clinical diagnosis of BPPV submitted to Balance Rehabilitation Unit static posturography in 10 sensory conditions at three time intervals: before and after the repositioning maneuver and12 months after the treatment
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied 23 subjects with a mean age of 68.74 years. Posturography revealed that the stability limit was not significantly different when the three time intervals were compared (p = 0.405). The center of pressure (CoP) showed a significant change in condition 2 (stable surface and closed eyes), because after the repositioning maneuver, the CoP significantly differed vis-à-vis the results before and 12 months after the treatment (p = 0.003). The values of body velocity sway (BVS) were significantly different in six sensory conditions in these three time intervals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  12 months after the treatment for BPPV, the static posturography showed balance abnormalities similar to those found before treatment.
authors.affiliation: Departamento Técnico de Projetos e Campanhas, Secretaria dos Direitos da Pessoa, Município de Barueri, Brazil.
authors.forename: Solange Martiliano
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lança
authors.forename: Juliana Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gazzola
authors.forename: Cristiane Akemi
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Kasse
authors.forename: Fatima Cristina Alves
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Branco-Barreiro
authors.forename: Daniela Patricia
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Vaz
authors.forename: Renata Coelho
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Scharlach
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D065635:Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014717:Vertigo / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*