Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes in patients with vestibular disorders .BPPV has often been described as self-limiting because symptoms often subside or disappear within six months of onset . BPPV may be characterized by sudden changes in the position of the head, such as lying down on one or both sides, looking right or left side . Vertigo is defined as illusion of movement which could be spinning, rocking, tilting or dropping . Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most frequent vestibular disorder and the leading cause of vertigo in adults.BPPV may be divided into 3 types based on canal involvement i.e Posterior, Horizontal, and Anterior Semicircular Canal BPPV. BPPV clinical findings agree with the hypothesis that semicircular canals with greater incidence is posterior canal, have floating particles or debris, which are heavier than the circulating endolymph . The vestibular system is located in the inner ear and consists of the utricle, saccule and three semicircular canals (i.e. posterior, anterior and horizontal). These canals react to rotational movements of the head . Of the types of BPPV, posterior semicircular canal BPPV (PC-BPPV) is the most common form, accounting for 85 to 90% of cases Lateral Canal BPPV is about 20%, and Anterior Canal BPPV is very rare as it is self-treated due to gravity . BPPV accounts for 8% of the subjects with moderate or severe dizziness/vertigo. It may be present in child hood but increases with age. The lifetime prevalence is estimated to be 2%. It´s reported that the oneyear prevalence is 0.5% in 18-39 years old and 3.4% in people over 60-years of age . Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the paroxysmal transient vertigo caused by specific changes in head position, accounting for 60% of peripheral vertigo, with an incidence rate of approximately 64/10000 . The average recurrence rate is around 50%. BPPV is more common in women than men; and the ratio of women to man population is 2:1.BPPV can be caused either by canalithiasis or by cupulolithiasis. Movement of the head causes these otoliths to inappropriately trigger the receptors in the semicircular canals and send false signals to the brain, causing vertigo and nystagmus . Factors that can be helpful in guiding the clinician in the evaluation of the patient with dizziness include the characteristics of the dizziness; associated symptoms (ie, hearing loss or tinnitus) duration of symptoms; and what, if anything, triggered the symptoms (precipitating factors) . Posterior canal BPPV is treated using canalith repositioning procedures, the most common of which is the Epley maneuver(EM) , half somersault exercises , Brandt Daroff exercise , Semont maneuver, vestibular habituation exercises, balance and eye exercises . Dix-Hallpike test is used to diagnose BPPV patients . Paramasivan Mani et al suggested in their study that half somersault exercise with Brandt Daroff exercise for 3 weeks showed significantly greater improvement in reducing self-perceived handicap among Patients with Posterior Canal Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo . Ashok Kumar Gupta et.al concluded that Epley maneuver has produced maximum improvement than Semont maneuver and least improvement was produced by Brandt-Daroff Exercises . Herman Guild Manayil John et al observed in their study that Epley's manoeuvre to be a simple, useful and cost-effective treatment for BPPV . Nevzat Demirbilek, conducted a study of Combined Epley and Semont Maneuver in Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo and concluded that, the combined maneuvers in our study were found to have an increased success rate . Devangi S. Desai et al concluded that, both Epley's maneuver and Brandt-daroff treatment approaches are effective in reducing symptoms and improving independence level but combined approaches can give better results so modified epley'smaneuver should be applied 3 times in one session along with brandt- daroff exercise as home exercise .
This study is important as there are numbers of BPPV patients presenting to outpatient departments which needs more efficient techniques for management of BPPV. Talking about literature, there are numbers of studies done on different maneuvers but there is yet no study available which compares these maneuvers. So the purpose of this study is to compare these techniques to find which one is more effective in treating PC-BPPV.