Comparison of Two Mechanical Rotation Chairs With Diagnostics of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.

Brief Summary

This study aims to investigate whether the diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is equally good with two different mechanical rotation chairs (MRCs) (TRV rotary chair and the Rotundum rotary chair). In the study, two different diagnostic criteria will be used (the international Bárány criteria and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery (AAO-HNS) criteria) with both MRCs. Patients with BPPV experience brief attacks of positional vertigo. Typically, this vertigo is provoked by changes in head position relative to gravity, e.g. laying down or turning to the side from the supine position. Previous studies on the use of MRCs have shown that MRCs offer very precise and accurate BPPV diagnostics. With MRCs it is possible to determine 1) laterality (left/right), 2) specific location (specific semicircular canal), and 3) BPPV subtype (canalolithiasis/cupulolithiasis). Treatment-wise, these MRCs have also shown to be very efficient with treatment success rates being above ninety percent. The two MRCs used in this study do not offer the exact same features (e.g. design, portability, fixed positions, and the possibility of adding kinetic energy). To the knowledge of the authors, no studies exist on direct comparison of separate MRCs. The Rotundum rotary chair, which is also the newest of the two MRCs included, has so far not been included in many studies. However, the hypothesis of the current study is that the Rotundum rotary chair and the TRV rotation chair are equally good in terms of BPPV diagnostics.