The Efficacy of the Gans Repositioning Maneuver in Comparison with the Epley Maneuver in Elderly Patients with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Abstract

Background and Aim: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) impacts the quality of life of affected people, especially the elderly. The Epley maneuver and the Gans maneuver are used to treat Posterior Canal BPPV (PC-BPPV). The effectiveness of the Epley maneuver has been verified, but further studies are required to prove the effectiveness of the Gans maneuver. The main purpose of the current study was to compare the effectiveness of the Gans maneuver with the Epley maneuver in the treatment of the elderly with PC-BPPV, considering emotional, physical, and functional symptoms by assessing anxiety, dizziness, and quality of life after treatment.

Methods: Sixty-three elderly patient (74.38±5.34 years) with unilateral PC-BPPV were recruited in this study. They were randomly assigned to two groups. The experimental group received the Gans maneuver, and the control group received the Epley maneuver. All patients completed the Persian version of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and Vestibular Rehabilitation Benefit Questionnaire (VRBQ) before, 48 hours and 1 month after treatment. Recurrence rate was assessed after the 2-month follow up.

Results: Significant differences were observed between pre-treatment and post-treatment questionnaire outcomes for both study groups; nevertheless, in each phase of the study, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the DHI and VRBQ scores.

Conclusion: Both the Gans maneuver and Epley maneuver were almost equally effective and made elderly with PC-BPPV report a better condition in terms of anxiety, emotional factors and quality of life after receiving the maneuvers.

Keywords: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo; Epley maneuver; Gans repositioning maneuver