Individualized repositioning with a mechanical rotational chair facilitates successful treatment of patients with very retractable benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Background: About 12.5 % of patients diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), experience persistent BPPV where it is unknown why some BPPV cases are very refractory (vrBPPV) to treatment.

Objectives: The primary objective was to investigate if patients with vrBPPV could be successfully treated with a mechanical rotation chair (MRC) adjusted to the exact vertical semicircular canal (SCC) angles of the individual patient. Secondary endpoint was to determine if inner ear anomalies were predominant in these patients.

Methods: This prospective clinical trial included 20 patients (main group) who underwent computed tomography (CT) with measurements of the bony island and the width between the SCC walls of the posterior leg of the lateral SCCs. The inter-SCC angles, the angles between the sagittal plane and the vertical SCCs were compared to the presumed mean standard angles of the SCCs. Of these, 14 patients (subgroup) underwent individualized treatment with the Rotundum® repositioning chair according to their measured SCC angles.

Results: All measured SCC angles differed significantly (p < 0.05) from the presumed mean standard SCC angles, except the angle between the sagittal plane and the left posterior SCC (p-SCC). Three out of 14 patients experienced subjective and objective remission after treatment with this MRC. Six out of 14 patients experienced either subjective remission or objective remission.

Conclusions: Patients with vrBPPV have vertical SCC angles that differ significantly from the presumed mean standard SCC angles. Individualized treatment with this MRC successfully treated 21.4 % of the patients with vrBPPV and provided subjective relief for 42.9 %.