Your physician’s stated diagnosis of BPPV is required prior to referral for Epley maneuvers.
BPPV is diagnosed by positioning the patient in a specific pattern to provoke the spinning or dizziness in a controlled manner. Abnormal eye movements accompany the spinning and dizziness. These abnormal eye movements are evaluated and allow for appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
Epley maneuvers have a success rate of better than 90% in relieving dizziness due to BPPV. The procedure is painless.
First, the eye movements (nystagmus) that occur with the spinning are observed, analyzed, and the target ear is identified.
Next, the series of head and body position changes are completed. The patient will lie down on an examining table, roll over, and move the head as directed. The movements are slow and gentle and the patient is assisted and supervised constantly during the positioning.
These movements cause the canaliths to move out of the semicircular canal to an area where balance will not be disturbed. Frequently a vibrator is used to help the particles move through the fluid filled semicircular canal.
The Epley maneuvers may take from 15 to 30 minutes. Follow-up will be scheduled in one week. The maneuvers may need to be repeated to be sure that all the canaliths have been moved to the proper place in the labyrinth. There is a range of two to four visits.
Sometimes the canaliths float back to the semicircular canals after months or years and symptoms of dizziness can recur. If that happens, the canalith repositioning procedures can be repeated