INTRODUCTION
Vertigo is divided into two as central and peripheral. Although central
vertigo is accompanied by neurological symptoms such as diplopia,
dysarthria, coordination disorder, drowsiness and weakness, the symptoms
are milder but last longer than peripheral vertigo. More than 90% of
peripheral vertigo cases consist of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
(BPPV), acute peripheral vestibulopathy and Meniere’s disease1. BPPV is the most common among these diseases. BPPV
is diagnosed in 17-42% of patients exhibiting symptoms of peripheral
dizziness . In BPPV, dizziness attacks lasting for seconds occur during
the angular acceleration motions of the head, but the disease is
completely asymptomatic between the attacks. Dizziness that occurs
during attacks can be accompanied by symptoms such as imbalance, nausea
and vomiting. As a result of these symptoms, the quality of life of the
patient is considerably affected 2.
Although the symptoms of BPPV can resolve spontaneously, they may last
for days, weeks, months or years and even recur.
When patients with positional vertigo are analyzed, it is seen that the
incidence of BPPV affecting the posterior or horizontal canal is more
frequent. Of the BPPV cases, about 85-90% are considered to be of
posterior canal origin, while approximately 5-15% are considered to be
of horizontal canal origin 3. The incidence of BPPV
subtypes in which the anterior canal and multiple canals are affected,
is seen to be less than 5% of the cases 4. When
determining the affected channel in BPPV, the patient’s history and the
features of the nystagmus that occur during the diagnostic maneuvers
also have an important place in the diagnosis . While the diagnostic
maneuvers of BPPV include the Dix–Hallpike and side-lying maneuvers for
vertical channels and head roll maneuvers for lateral channels, the
canalith repositioning maneuvers include the Epley and Semont maneuvers
for vertical channels and the Barbecue and Gufoni maneuvers for lateral
channels 5.
The aim of this clinical study is to evaluate the effect of
repositioning maneuvers on quality of life, vertigo symptoms and
dizziness in patients admitted to our clinic and diagnosed with BPPV.