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A Randomized Clinical Trial to Assess the Efficacy of the Epley Maneuver in the Treatment of Acute Benign Positional Vertigo
Author(s) -
Chang Andrew K.,
Schoeman Gary,
Hill MaryAnn
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
academic emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.221
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1553-2712
pISSN - 1069-6563
DOI - 10.1197/j.aem.2004.06.001
Subject(s) - medicine , placebo , vertigo , randomized controlled trial , interim analysis , emergency department , confidence interval , benign paroxysmal positional vertigo , surgery , anesthesia , physical therapy , alternative medicine , pathology , psychiatry
Abstract Objectives: To compare the efficacy of the Epley maneuver with that of a placebo maneuver in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with benign positional vertigo (BPV). Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, single‐blind placebo‐controlled trial. Consecutive adult ED patients presenting to a university teaching hospital with BPV were randomized to treatment with either the Epley or placebo maneuver. The severity of vertigo was evaluated on a 0 to 10‐point scale before and after the maneuvers. Results: Eleven patients were randomized to the Epley group and 11 to the placebo group before the trial was terminated, based on a planned interim analysis. The median decreases in vertigo severity were 6 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 4 to 9) for the Epley group and 1 (95% CI = 0 to 3) for the placebo group (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The Epley maneuver is a simple bedside maneuver that appears to be more efficacious than a placebo maneuver in the treatment of acute BPV among ED patients.