Short-term efficacy of Epley's manoeuvre: a double-blind randomised trial. Posture restrictions do not interfere in the results of canalith repositioning maneuver. Effectiveness of treatments for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the posterior canal. Are postural restrictions after an Epley maneuver unnecessary? First results of a controlled study and review of the literature.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the posterior canal (PC-BPPV) is a common vestibular disorder and can be easily treated with Epley's manoeuvre. Thus far, the short-term efficacy of Epley's manoeuvre for treatment of PC-BPPV is unknown.
                To evaluate the efficacy of Epley's manoeuvre for treatment of PC-BPPV 24 h after applying the manoeuvre.
                The short-term efficacy of Epley's manoeuvre was compared with a sham procedure in 66 patients with PC-BPPV by using a double-blind randomised study design.
                24 h after treatment, 28 of 35 (80%) patients in the Epley's manoeuvre group had neither vertigo nor nystagmus on positional testing compared with 3 of 31 (10%) patients in the sham group (p<0.001).
                Epley's manoeuvre is shown to resolve PC-BPPV both effectively and rapidly. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is a frequent cause of dizziness and despite of the excellent results with its treatment, there is some controversy about management.
                To assess the efficacy of Epley Maneuver with and without post-maneuver restrictions.
                Prospective randomized.
                Fifty patients presenting BPPV of the posterior semicircular canal, treated with Epley Maneuver and divided into two groups: study group--23 patients--with post-maneuver restrictions, and control group--27 patients--without post-maneuver restrictions.
                No significant difference was found between the studied and the control group.
                Post-maneuver restrictions do not influence the efficacy of Epley Maneuver for BPPV management. To determine which common, nonpharmacological, nonsurgical treatments are most effective for treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
                Prospective, randomized, sham-controlled.
                Patients (n = 124) with BPPV of the posterior semicircular canal.
                Tertiary care center.
                Random assignment to one of five groups: modified canalith repositioning maneuver (CRP), modified liberatory maneuver (LM), sham maneuver, Brandt and Daroff's exercise, and vertigo habituation exercises. Subjects received a standard educational lecture about BPPV and the purpose of the intervention. No vestibular-suppressant medication or special instructions for head positioning were used. Post-tests were given at 1 week after treatment and at approximately 3 months and 6 months later.
                Vertigo intensity and frequency.
                Multilevel analyses showed that vertigo decreased significantly after LM, CRP, and Brandt-Daroff exercise; those three groups did not differ significantly. The habituation group did not differ from sham, Brandt-Daroff, LM, or CRP groups. Changes in scores were maintained throughout the 6-month follow-up period.
                LM, CRP, and exercises are all effective interventions; patient education plus the sham maneuver, however, had some beneficial effect. These results support two possible mechanisms of BPPV: displaced otoconia and a neural mechanism affecting interpretation of semicircular canal signals. Postural restrictions after canalith repositioning maneuvers (CRM) for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the posterior semicircular canal (p-BPPV) have no proven value and therefore most physicians regard them as unnecessary. The aim of this study was to assess the short-term efficacy of head and body movement limitations after a single Epley maneuver. A review of the literature was performed to assess the current level of evidence for the efficacy of postural restrictions.
                Sixty-four patients, median age 59 years (range 37-82 years), with p-BPPV, were allocated either to instructions for movement restrictions or free movements for 48 h after a single Epley maneuver. The minimization method was used for allocation to treatment. This procedure 'minimizes' the differences in the distribution of pre-specified prognostic factors (e.g. sex and age) between the two groups of treatment. Minimization was preferred over randomization which is not as effective in balancing baseline characteristics when the number of participants is small. Outcome was assessed by physician and patient reported measures (Dix-Hallpike test, subjective vertigo intensity in a 10-point scale, patient's assessment of improvement) within 1 week after treatment by an independent investigator. The level of statistical significance was 0.05.
                More patients with movement restrictions reported a subjective improvement after treatment (p=0.007). Ninety percent of patients with movement restrictions and 74.2% of patients with free movements had a negative follow up Dix-Hallpike test but the difference was not significant (p=0.108). The mean pre-treatment vertigo intensity was reduced from 6.07 and 5.97 to 1.18 and 2.86, respectively but the difference was not significant (p=0.122).
                Postural restrictions do not increase the efficacy of the canal-repositioning maneuver despite the fact that patients report a subjective improvement after post-procedural instructions. In the review of the literature, all studies except one conclude that postural restrictions are unnecessary. However, a number of methodological issues such as inadequate sample size are not addressed and more conclusive evidence is required. Based on current evidence, the use of postural restrictions after the canal-repositioning maneuver is unjustified.
There is evidence that the Epley manoeuvre is a safe, effective treatment for posterior canal BPPV, based on the results of five mostly small randomised controlled trials with relatively short follow up. There is no good evidence that the Epley manoeuvre provides a long-term resolution of symptoms. There is no good evidence comparing the Epley manoeuvre with other physical, medical or surgical therapy for posterior canal BPPV.