BPPV - Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
BPPV - Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
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In Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) dizziness is generally thought to be due to debris which has collected within a part of the inner ear. This debris can be thought of as "ear rocks", although the formal name is "otoconia". Ear rocks are small crystals of calcium carbonate derived from a structure in the ear called the "utricle" (figure1 ). While the saccule also contains otoconia, they are not able to migrate into the canal system. The utricle may have been damaged by head injury, infection, or other disorder of the inner ear, or may have degenerated because of advanced age. Normally otoconia appear to have a slow turnover. They are probably dissolved naturally as well as actively reabsorbed by the "dark cells" of the labyrinth (Lim, 1973, 1984), which are found adjacent to the utricle and the crista, although this idea is not accepted by all (see Zucca, 1998, and Buckingham, 1999). BPPV is a common cause of dizziness. About 20% of all dizziness is due to BPPV. While BPPV can occur in children (Uneri and Turkdogan, 2003), the older you are, the more likely it is that your dizziness is due to BPPV. About 50% of all dizziness in older people is due to BPPV. In one study, 9% of a group of urban dwelling elders were found to have undiagnosed BPPV (Oghalai et al., 2000). The symptoms of BPPV include dizziness or vertigo, lightheadedness, imbalance, and nausea. Activities which bring on symptoms will vary among persons, but symptoms are almost always precipitated by a change of position of the head with respect to gravity. Getting out of bed or rolling over in bed are common "problem" motions . Because people with BPPV often feel dizzy and unsteady when they tip their heads back to look up, sometimes BPPV is called "top shelf vertigo." Women with BPPV may find that the use of shampoo bowls in beauty parlors brings on symptoms. A Yoga posture called the "down dog", or Pilates are sometimes the trigger. An intermittent pattern is common. BPPV may be present for a few weeks, then stop, then come back again. Supplemental material on the site DVD: Animation of otoconia being displaced into posterior canal
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BPPV has often been described as "self-limiting" because symptoms often subside or disappear within 2 months of onset (Imai et al, 2005). BPPV is not life-threatening. One can certainly opt to just wait it out.
No active treatment (wait/see):
If you decide to wait it out, certain modifications in your daily activities may be necessary to cope with your dizziness. Use two or more pillows at night. Avoid sleeping on the "bad" side. In the morning, get up slowly and sit on the edge of the bed for a minute. Avoid bending down to pick up things, and extending the head, such as to get something out of a cabinet. Be careful when at the dentist's office, the beauty parlor when lying back having ones hair washed, when participating in sports activities and when you are lying flat on your back. Symptoms tend to wax and wane. Motion sickness medications are sometimes helpful in controlling the nausea associated with BPPV but are otherwise rarely beneficial. As BPPV can last for much longer than 2 months, in our opinion, it is better to treat it actively and be done with it rather than taking the wait/see approach.
2. Sleep semi-recumbent for the next night. This means sleep with your head halfway between being flat and upright
(a 45 degree angle). This is most easily done by using a recliner chair or by using pillows arranged on a couch (see figure 3). During the day, try to keep your head vertical. You must not go to the hairdresser or dentist. No exercise which requires head movement. When men shave under their chins, they should bend their bodies forward in order to keep their head vertical. If eye drops are required, try to put them in without tilting the head back. Shampoo only under the shower. Some authors suggest that no special sleeping positions are necessary (Cohen, 2004; Massoud and Ireland, 1996). We, as do others, think that there is some value (Cakir et al, 2006)
3. For at least one week, avoid provoking head positions that might bring BPPV on again.
Use two pillows when you sleep.
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Be careful to avoid head-extended position, in which you are lying on your back, especially with your head turned towards the affected side. This means be cautious at the beauty parlor, dentist's office, and while undergoing minor surgery. Try to stay as upright as possible. Exercises for low-back pain should be stopped for a week. No "sit-ups" should be done for at least one week and no "crawl" swimming. (Breast stroke is OK.) Also avoid far head-forward positions such as might occur in certain exercises (i.e. touching the toes). Do not start doing the Brandt-Daroff exercises immediately or 2 days after the Epley or Semont maneuver, unless specifically instructed otherwise by your health care provider.
4. At one week after treatment, put yourself in the position that usually makes you dizzy. Position yourself cautiously and under conditions in which you
can't fall or hurt yourself. Let your doctor know how you did.
Variant maneuvers:
Comment: Massoud and Ireland (1996) stated that post-treatment instructions were not necessary. While we respect these authors, at this writing (2002), we still feel it best to follow the procedure recommended by Epley. While some authors advocate use of vibration in the Epley maneuver, we have not found this useful in a study of our patients (Hain et al, 2000). Use of an antiemetic prior to the maneuver may be helpful if nausea is anticipated. Some authors suggest that position 'D' in the figure is not necessary (e.g. (Cohen et al. 1999; Cohen et al. 2004 ). In our opinion, this is a mistake as mathematical modeling of BPPV suggests that position 'D' is the most important position (Squires et al, 2004). Mathematical modeling also suggests that position 'C' is probably not needed. In our opinion, position 'C' has utility as it gives patients a chance to regroup between position 'B' and 'D'. The "Gans" maneuver. This is a little used treatment maneuver, called the "Gans maneuver by it's inventor (R. Gans, Ph.D.), that is a hybrid between the Epley and Semont maneuvers. It incorporates the head orientations to gravity of "B" and "D" in the Epley figure above, using the body positions of the Semont maneuver. It leaves out position 'C' in the figure above. There is too little published experience with this maneuver to say whether it is as effective as the Epley/Semont but we suspect that it has the same efficacy, as it uses the same head orientations with respect to gravity.
WHAT IS THE PROOF THAT THE EPLEY/SEMONT MANEUVERS WORK ?
Many patients have been reported in controlled studies. The median response in treated patients was 81%, compared to 37.% in placebo or untreated subjects. A metanalysis published in 2010 indicated that there is very good evidence that the Epley maneuver (CRP) is effective (Helminski et al, 2010). See here for the details.
WHAT IF THE MANEUVERS DON'T WORK?
The office maneuvers are effective in about 80% of patients with BPPV. If you are among the other 20 percent, your doctor may wish you to proceed with the home Epley exercises, as described below. If a maneuver works but symptoms recur or the response is only partial (about 40% of the time according to Smouha, 1997), another trial of the maneuver might be advised. When all maneuvers have been tried, the diagnosis is clear, and symptoms are still intolerable, surgical management (posterior canal plugging) may be offered. Occasional patients travel to a facility where a device is available to position the head and body to make the maneuvers more effective. See this page for more information about this option. BPPV often recurs. About 1/3 of patients have a recurrence in the first year after treatment, and by five years, about half of all patients have a recurrence (Hain et al, 2000; Nunez et al; 2000; Sakaida et al, 2003). If BPPV recurs, in our practice we usually retreat with one of the maneuvers above. While daily use of exercises would seem sensible, we did not find it to prevent recurrence (Helminski et al, 2005; Helminski and Hain, 2008). In some persons, the positional vertigo can be eliminated but imbalance persists. This may be related to utricular damage (Hong et al, 2008). See this page for some other ideas. In these persons it may be reasonable to undertake a course of generic vestibular rehabilitation, as they may still need to compensate for a changed utricular mass or a component of persistent vertigo caused by cupulolithiasis. Conventional vestibular rehabilitation has some efficacy, even without specific maneuvers. (Angeli, Hawley et al. 2003; Fujino et al ,1994) )
The Brandt-Daroff Exercises are a home method of treating BPPV, usually used when the side of BPPV is unclear. Their use has been declining in recent years, as the home Epley maneuver (see below) is considerably more effective. They succeed in 95% of cases but are more arduous than the office treatments. These exercises also may take longer than the other maneuvers -- the response rate at one week is only about 25% (Radke et al, 1999). These exercises are performed in three sets per day for two weeks. In each set, one performs the maneuver as shown five times. 1 repetition = maneuver done to each side in turn (takes 2 minutes)
Suggested Schedule for Brandt-Daroff exercises
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Start sitting upright (position 1). Then move into the side-lying position (position 2), with the head angled upward about halfway. An easy way to remember this is to imagine someone standing about 6 feet in front of you, and just keep looking at their head at all times. Stay in the side-lying position for 30 seconds, or until the dizziness subsides if this is longer, then go back to the sitting position (position 3). Stay there for 30 seconds, and then go to the opposite side (position 4) and follow the same routine. These exercises should be performed for two weeks, three times per day, or for three weeks, twice per day. This adds up to 42 sets in total. In most persons, complete relief from symptoms is obtained after 30 sets, or about 10 days. In approximately 30 percent of patients, BPPV will recur within one year. Unfortunately, daily exercises are not effective in preventing recurrence (Helminski and Hain, 2008). The Brandt-Daroff exercises as well as the Semont and Epley maneuvers are compared in an article by Brandt (1994), listed in the reference section. When performing the Brandt-Daroff maneuver, caution is advised should neurological symptoms (i.e. weakness, numbness, visual changes other than vertigo) occur. Occasionally such symptoms are caused by compression of the vertebral arteries (Sakaguchi et al, 2003). In this situation we advise not proceeding with the exercises and consulting ones physician. Multicanal BPPV (usually mild) often is a consequence of using the Brandt-Daroff exercises. Other resources:
Supplemental material on the site DVD: Animation of Brandt-Daroff exercises. Note that this treatment maneuver is done faster in the animation than in actual use. Usually one allows 30 seconds between positions. Supplemental material on the site DVD: Movie of Brandt-Daroff exercises We offer a home treatment DVD that illustrates the Brandt-Daroff exercises. HOME EPLEY MANEUVER
The Epley and/or Semont maneuvers as described above can be done at home (Radke et al, 1999; Furman and Hain, 2004). We often recommend the home-Epley to our patients who have a clear diagnosis. This procedure seems to be even more effective than the in-office procedure, perhaps because it is repeated every night for a week. The method (for the left side) is performed as shown on the figure to the right. One stays in each of the supine (lying down) positions for 30 seconds, and in the sitting upright position (top) for 1 minute. Thus, once cycle takes 2 1/2 minutes. Typically 3 cycles are performed just prior to going to sleep. It is best to do them at night rather than in the morning or midday, as if one becomes dizzy following the exercises, then it can resolve while one is sleeping. The mirror image of this procedure is used for the right ear. There are several problems with the "do it yourself" method. If the diagnosis of BPPV has not been confirmed, one may be attempting to treat another condition (such as a brain tumor or stroke) with positional exercises -- this is unlikely to be successful and may delay proper treatment. A second problem is that the home-Epley requires knowledge of the "bad" side. Sometimes this can be tricky to establish. Complications such as conversion to another canal (see below) can occur during the Epley maneuver, which are better handled in a doctor's office than at home. Finally, occasionally during the Epley maneuver neurological symptoms are provoked due to compression of the vertebral arteries. In our opinion, it is safer to have the first Epley performed in a doctors office where appropriate action can be taken in this eventuality. We offer a home treatment DVD that illustrates the home Epley exercises.
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If the exercises described above are ineffective in controlling symptoms, symptoms have persisted for a year or longer, and the diagnosis is very clear, a surgical procedure called "posterior canal plugging" may be recommended. Canal plugging blocks most of the posterior canal's function without affecting the functions of the other canals or parts of the ear. This procedure poses a small risk to hearing -- about 3%, but is effective in about 85-90% of individuals who have had no response to any other treatment (Shaia et al, 2006). The risk of the surgery to hearing derives from inadvertent breaking into the endolymphatic compartment while attempting to open the bony labyrinth with a drill. Alternatives to plugging. Singular nerve section is the main alternative. Dr Gacek (Syracuse, New York) has written extensively about singular nerve section (Gacek et al, 1995). Interestingly, Dr. Gacek is the only surgeon who has published any results with this procedure post 1993 (Leveque et al, 2007). Singular nerve section is very difficult because it can be hard to find the nerve. Dr. Anthony (Houston, Texas), advocates laser assisted posterior canal plugging. It seems to us that these procedures, which require unusual amounts of surgical skill, have little advantage over a conventional canal plugging procedure.
Don't do these
There are several surgical procedures that we feel are simply inadvisable for the individual with intractable BPPV. Canal plugging is preferable to all of these. Vestibular nerve section, while effective, eliminates more of the normal vestibular system than is necessary. Similarly, transtympanic gentamicin treatment is generally inappropriate. Labyrinthectomy and sacculotomy are also both inappropriate because of reduction or loss of hearing expected with these procedures.
ATYPICAL BPPV
Lateral Canal BPPV, Anterior Canal BPPV, Cupulolithiasis, Vestibulolithiasis, Multicanal patterns
There are several rarer variants of BPPV which may occur spontaneously as well as after the BrandtDaroff maneuvers or Epley/Semont maneuvers. They are mainly thought to be caused by migration of otoconial debris into canals other than the posterior canal, the anterior or lateral canal. It is also possible that some are due to other conditions such as brainstem or cerebellar damage, but clinical experience suggests that this is very rare. There is presently no data reported as to the frequency and extent of these syndromes following treatment procedures. It is the author's estimate that they occur in roughly 5% of Epley maneuvers and about 10% of the time after the Brandt-Daroff exercises. In nearly all instances, with the exception of cupulolithiasis, these variants of BPPV following maneuvers resolve within a week without any special treatment, but when they do not, there are procedures available to treat them. In clinical practice, atypical BPPV arising spontaneously is first treated with maneuvers as is typical BPPV, and the special treatments as outlined below are entered into only after treatment failure. When atypical BPPV follows the Epley, Semont or Brandt-Daroff maneuvers, specific exercises are generally begun as soon as the diagnosis is ascertained. In patients in whom the exercise treatment of atypical BPPV fails, especially in situations where onset is spontaneous, additional diagnostic testing such as MRI scanning may be indicated. The reason for this is to look for other types of positional vertigo. Lateral canal BPPV is the most common atypical BPPV variant, accounting for about 3-12 percent of cases (Korres et al, 2002; Hornibrook 2004). Many cases are seen as a consequence of an Epley maneuver. It is diagnosed by a horizontal nystagmus that changes direction according to the ear that is down. More detail about lateral canal BPPV as well as an illustration of a home exercise can be found here Anterior canal BPPV (discussed in more detail here) is also rare, and a recent study suggested that it accounts for about 2% of cases of BPPV (Korres et al, 2002). It is diagnosed by a positional nystagmus with components of downbeating and (sometimes) torsional movement on taking up the Dix-Hallpike position. More detail about anterior canal BPPV as well as an illustration of a home exercise can be found here Cupulolithiasis (also see here) is a condition in which debris is stuck to the cupula of a semicircular canal, rather than being loose within the canal. Cupulolithiasis should result in a constant nystagmus. This pattern is sometimes seen (Smouha et al. 1995). Cupulolithiasis might theoretically occur in any canal -- horizontal, anterior or vertical, each of which might have it's own pattern of positional nystagmus. If cupulolithiasis of the posterior canal is suspected, it seems logical to treat with either the Epley with vibration, or alternatively, use the Semont maneuver. Other maneuvers have been proposed for lateral canal cupulolithiasis. There are no controlled studies of cupulolithiasis to indicate which strategy is the most effective. Vestibulolithiasis (also see here)is a hypothetical condition in which debris is present on the vestibule-side of the cupula, rather than being on the canal side. For this theory, there is loose debris, close to but unattached to the cupula of the posterior canal, possibly in the vestibule or short arm of the semicircular canal. This mechanism would be expected to resemble cupulolithiasis, having a persistent nystagmus, but with intermittency because the debris is movable. Very little data is available as to the frequency of this pattern, and no data is available regarding treatment. Multicanal BPPV. If debris can get into one canal, why shouldn't it be able to get into more than one ? It is common to find small amounts of horizontal nystagmus or contralateral downbeating nystagmus in a person with classic posterior canal BPPV. While other explanations are possible, the most likely one is that there is debris in multiple canals. Gradually a literature is developing about these situations (Bertholon et al, 2005).
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weekly basis, or if this is not possible, someone who has attended a course on vestibular rehabilitation. Because BPPV is so common, most major cities will have at least one person who fits these criteria. Acknowledgements
MORE INFORMATION Literature and multimedia that we recommend
VEDA has recently published a patient-oriented book on BPPV. Supplemental material is available on the site DVD: We offer a home treatment DVD that illustrates the home CRP, Brandt-Daroff and Log-roll exercises. Understanding your dizziness and balance disorder DVD (has a segment on BPPV) PDF of our practice handout on BPPV.
Click here for recent, but possibly less relevant references. See also the following web pages
http://www.charite.de/ch/neuro/vertigo.html -- This is a self-treatment Epley protocol.
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Parnes LS, McClure JA. Posterior semicircular canal occlusion for intractable benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1990 May;99(5 Pt 1):330-334. Parnes LS. Update on posterior canal occlusion for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 1996 Apr;29(2):333-342. Parnes LS, Price-Jones RG. Particle repositioning maneuver for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1993 May;102(5):325-331. Radke A and others. A modified Epley's procedure for self-treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Neurology 1999, 53: 1358-1360 Rizvi SS, Gauthier MG. Unexpected complication of posterior canal occlusion surgery for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Otol and Neurotol 23:938-940, 2002 Rojas-Burke J. Doctor and invention outlast jeers and threats. The Oregonian. Dec 31, 2006 (Article about Dr. John Epley -- pdf available). Sakaida M and others. Long-term outcome of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Neurology 2003:60:1532-1534 Sakaguchi M, Kitagawa K, Hougaku H, Hashimoto H, Nagai Y, Yamagami H, Ohtsuki T, Oku N, Hashikawa K, Matsushita K, Matsumoto M and Hori M (2003). "Mechanical compression of the extracranial vertebral artery during neck rotation." Neurology 61(6): 845-847. Schuknecht, H. F. (1969). "Cupulolithiasis." Arch Otolaryngol 90(6): 765-78. Schuknecht, H. F., et al. (1973). "Cupulolithiasis." Adv Otorhinolaryngol 20: 434-43. Semont A, Freyss G, Vitte E. Curing the BPPV with a liberatory maneuver. Adv Otorhinolaryngol 1988;42:290-293. Shaia WT, Zappia JJ, Bojrab DI, LaRouere ML, Sargent EW, Diaz RC. Success of posterior semicircular canal occlusion and application of the dizziness handicap inventory. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006 Mar;134(3):424-30. Smouha EE. Time course of recovery after Epley maneuvers for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Laryngoscope 1997 107(2) 187-91 Squires TM, Weidman MS, Hain TC, Stone HA. A mathematical model for top-shelf vertigo: the role of sedimenting otoconia in BPPV. J Biomech, 2004. 37(8): p. 1137-46. Uneri A, Turkdogan D. Evaluation of vestibular functions in children with vertigo attacks. Arch Dis Child 2003 Jun;88(6):510-1 Welling DB, Barnes DE. Particle Repositioning maneuver for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Laryngoscope 1994 Aug;104(8 Pt 1):946-949.
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