Feasibility and safety of repositioning maneuvers for posterior semicircular canal BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) in elderly over 80 years of age.

Purpose: Balance problems in the elderly are a major social concern, primarily due to the risk of falls. One of the reasons of fast worsening of stability and therefore falling is represented by acute BPPV. Treatment through repositioning maneuvers could significantly reduce the risk of further falls of the patients treated with. The physical ability of older individuals to be treated with maneuvers is a topic of debate due to possible joint stiffness and less compliance with movements. There are few previous studies focusing on the practicality and effectiveness of physical therapy for BPPV in people over 80 years.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study collecting data on 517 patients to assess the feasibility, effectiveness, safety and the number of therapeutic maneuvers necessary to get therapeutic success when treating individuals over 80 years compared to those aged between 18 and 64.

Results: We found no difference in terms of number of maneuvers needed to get therapeutic success between the two groups. As for the therapeutic maneuver no difference in success and feasibility of execution was found between Semont and Epley maneuvers which proved equally effective in the two groups.

Conclusion: Our data are not inconsistent with the hypothesis that repositioning maneuvers for posterior canal BPPV are feasible and demonstrated a good efficacy in all elderly people. This could encourage the diagnosis and treatment of BPPV also for the purpose of reducing the risk of falls in the elderly.