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.