Objective of this prospective randomized treatment trial is to compare the effectiveness of the SemontPLUS (SM+) with the Epley maneuver (EM) for the therapy of posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo canalolithiasis (pcBPPV).
BPPV is the second most common form of vertigo. Reported prevalence ranges from 10 to 140 per 100,000 and lifetime prevalence is at least 2.4%; prevalence of 9-11% have been found in a population older than 75 years. The leading symptom is recurrent attacks of spinning vertigo, each triggered by changes in position relative to gravity and lasting from seconds to one minute. The cause is usually freely moving otoconia in the posterior arcuate canal (so-called canalolithiasis); the horizontal canal is affected much less frequently. In 70% of patients there is a spontaneous remission within days. In case of persistence, about 95% of patients can be successfully treated with so-called freeing maneuvers, e.g., the Sémont maneuver. However, this often requires 20 to 30 maneuvers over several days. Based on 1. our own biophysical studies, which we performed together with colleagues from Switzerland on a mechanical model of positional vertigo and which show that theoretically 24 the effectiveness of the Sémont maneuvers can be increased by changing the positional angle by 30° in the so-called step two of the positional maneuvers, as well as 2. an analysis of the comparison of the conventional Sémont maneuver with the so-called SémontPLUS maneuver, which shows that the mean time to freedom from symptoms for the Sémont maneuver is 3.9 days and only 2.3 days for the SémontPLUS maneuver (p\<0.05), the efficacy of the Epley maneuver will be compared with the SemontPLUS maneuver in a parallel group design. The primary endpoint is the duration, i.e., days ("mornings") until freedom from symptoms with continuation of the two maneuvers in the following days, three times in the morning, at noon and in the evening. This is assessed by the patient's statements that he/she can still induce rotational vertigo or not during the positioning maneuvers to the affected side performed by him/herself.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
214
The patient is sitting with both feet on the table or bed with the head looking forward. Subsequently, they let themselves fall backwards with a pillow under the shoulder and the head is turned 45° to the right. They stay in this position for 30 seconds. Afterwards, they turn the head quickly 90° to the left side followed by a turn of the whole body to the left so that their nose is pointing at the floor. They stay in this position for another 30 seconds. Subsequently, the patients sit themselves up with the head still turned 45° to the left. They can help themselves by using both arms. After a few seconds, they can turn the head slowly back to the neutral position facing forward.
The patients first turn head 45° to the left. Then they extend the right arm and subsequently move the whole body by 150°+ to the right side. This position is kept for 60 seconds. Subsequently, patients move their whole body by 240° towards the non-affected side. Finally, after another 60 seconds, the patient sits up for another 60 sec.
Department of ENT, AZ Sint-Jan Brugge-Oostende AV
Ostend, Flanders, Belgium
Department of Neurology, Ludwig Maximilian University
Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Department of ENT, University of Siena
Siena, Italy
Number of days until no positional vertigo could be induced
Patients had to document whether they could provoke positional vertigo every morning. The primary endpoint was the number of days until no positional vertigo could be induced on three subsequent mornings.
Time frame: 28 days
Effect of the single maneuver performed by the physician.
How many patients in both treatment groups become vertigo and nystagmus-free after a single performance of the allocated treatment maneuver performed by a physician.
Time frame: 28 days
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