Recurrence of symptoms following treatment of posterior semicircular canal benign positional paroxysmal vertigo with a particle repositioning manoeuvre

A consecutive series of 51 patients (34 females and 17 males) with posterior semicircular canal benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV) were treated with the modified Epley particle positioning manoeuvre (PRM). Follow-up data were available on all 51 patients. After one manoeuvre, 42 patients had a negative Dix-Hallpike test, and after a second manoeuvre, 8 of the remaining 9 patients had a negative Dix-Hallpike test (testing was conducted 1 to 2 weeks after the PRM was performed). Therefore, the overall short-term success rate after two manoeuvres was 50 of 51 patients (98%), which is similar to other series. A follow-up questionnaire to determine the incidence of recurrence of symptoms was administered after a minimum period of 30 weeks. Twenty-three patients reported a recurrence (or, in the case of the one treatment failure, persistence) of their symptoms (45%). Therefore, although virtually all patients can be treated successfully with the PRM, almost half of these patients can be expected to experience a further recurrence of symptoms. This long-term recurrence rate is higher than has previously been reported and is a significant factor clinicians must be aware of in their treatment of this condition. In particular, this finding emphasizes the need for patient counselling with regard to the likelihood of recurrence and access to follow-up treatment if recurrence occurs.