Effect of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo course on residual symptoms after successful canalith repositioning procedures: A prospective controlled trial.

Abstract

Background: Following successful canalith repositioning procedures (CRPs), some patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) may experience residual symptoms. There is currently no consensus on whether these residual symptoms are related to the disease duration.

Objective: To examine the impact of BPPV duration on the persistence of residual symptoms following successful CRP.

Methods: A total of 102 idiopathic BPPV patients were enrolled and categorized into short-course and long-course groups based on the duration of the disease. The course of disease in the short-course group was less than or equal to 7 days. The long course of disease was longer than 7 days. All patients underwent swivel-chair-assisted CRP and were followed up 7-10 days after successful CRP. The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) questionnaire was administered to all patients before and after CRP.

Results: Before CRP, significant differences were observed between the two groups in total DHI score and its subdomains: Physical (DHI-P), Functional (DHI-F), and Emotional (DHI-E) (p < 0.05), indicating that long disease duration significantly affected all patient aspects. After CRP, significant differences remained in total DHI, DHI-P, DHI-F, and DHI-E scores (p < 0.05), with the long-course group consistently scoring higher. However, no significant differences were found in the changes in DHI scores across dimensions before and after CRP between the two groups.

Conclusion: The duration of BPPV did not influence CRP outcomes, but patients with a longer disease course were more likely to experience residual symptoms after successful CRP.