Vestibular rehabilitation in patients with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness: a scoping review

The effect of using virtual reality on balance in people with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness: A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundPersistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) represents a relatively new vestibular diagnosis that has garnered attention within the medical community. Consequently, there is a pressing demand for efficacious management strategies.ObjectiveTo assess the comparative effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) versus vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) in improving PPPD symptoms.MethodsWe randomly assigned a cohort of 42 individuals conclusively diagnosed with PPPD to two distinct groups. The experimental group included 21 participants who received a combination of VR and optokinetic stimulation in addition to VRT, while the control group, also made up of 21 individuals, only received optokinetic stimulation in conjunction with VRT. We administered the intervention sessions twice weekly over a span of 6 weeks, resulting in a total of 10-intervention sessions. Additionally, baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up assessments were conducted.ResultsOur analysis revealed that participants in both groups significantly improved with no significant differences between the groups. Individuals undergoing VR interventions demonstrated marked improvements across all of the assessed parameters including the primary outcome measure that were reduced from 41.55 (11.87) to 23.40 (14.17) (p<0.001). Moreover, participants in the control group also displayed notable enhancements in select outcome measures post-intervention including the primary outcome measure that were reduced from 43.60 (12.75) to 26.10 (16.25) (p = 0.001). All participants in both groups maintained significant improvement in the severity of PPPD after 1 year of the. However, the study cannot determine if this change was definitely from the treatment because there was no non-treatment control group.ConclusionsThe study found that the addition of VR to a well-structured VRT did not significantly improve clinical outcomes, indicating a need for further investigation into more effective approaches to yield meaningful clinical benefits. Moreover, adding a control group with no intervention would help revealing a real effect of the intervention.

Dynamic postural stability, symmetry, and smoothness of gait in patients with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness

BackgroundPatients with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) exhibit altered postural and gait dynamics, but development of these changes following precipitating illnesses is poorly understood.ObjectiveTo compare posture and gait metrics in patients with PPPD or subacute unilateral vestibulopathies (sAUVP) to healthy controls (HC).MethodsTen patients with sAUVP, nine with PPPD, and eleven HC completed the 10 Meters Walk Test (10MWT) (an eyes open task) and Fukuda Stepping Test (FST) (an eyes closed task). Gait stability, symmetry, and smoothness were compared among groups and correlated with Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) scores.Results10MWT - Patients with PPPD had lower pelvis stability and gait symmetry than HCs. Patients with sAUVP had only lower pelvis stability. FST - Patients with PPPD and sAUVP had lower gait smoothness than HCs. Patients with sAUVP also had lower gait symmetry. Among patients with PPPD, DHI scores correlated positively with head stability.ConclusionsPPPD and sAUVP caused abnormal pelvis stability when walking and gait smoothness when stepping but differed in effects on gait symmetry with the presence/absence of visual inputs. For PPPD, visual stimuli had destabilizing effects, whereas for sAUVP vision aided stability. Symptom severity in patients with PPPD was related to head stability.

Persistent positional perceptual dizziness in clinical practice: a scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Dizziness is an important symptom presenting in routine practice and the life time prevalence ranges from 17 to 30%. Persistent positional perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is a common cause of chronic dizziness and has often been labeled as psychogenic dizziness in the past.

DISCUSSION

PPPD is diagnosed based on clinical criteria laid down by the Barany society. The vestibular function tests and imaging of the brain and the inner ear are often normal. Most of the patients have an underlying anxiety trait and most cases of PPPD arise following an attack of acute vertigo like Meniere's disease and vestibular neuritis. It is important to differentiate the condition from bilateral vestibulopathy. There is no role of vestibular sedative in the treatment of such condition. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) like sertraline have shown benefits. However, long-term outcome is not known.

CONCLUSION

PPPD is a relatively new entity in the ever-expanding field of neurotology that requires a multimodality approach for effective management. The otologists and general physicians must identify the condition so that favorable outcome can be achieved. The long-term effects of treatment with CBT and VRT are not known. It is important to formulate standard guidelines for treatment. Further research is necessary to identify the role of endogenous biomarkers in the outcome of treatment.

The Navigation Ability Test (NAT 2.0): From Football Player Performance to Balance Rehabilitation in Chronic Unilateral Vestibular Loss

Aim of the Study: in humans, spatial orientation consists of the ability to move around the environment through memorized and pre-programmed movements, according to the afferent sensory information of the body and environmental analysis of the Central Nervous System (CNS). The purpose of this study is to analyze the abilities of professional athletes, such as footballers, to use mental navigation systems, cognitive maps, and memorized motor patterns in order to obtain better physical performance and to obtain useful information for training both non-sports subjects and vestibular patients for rehabilitation purposes. Materials and Methods: all the motor performances of sportsmen, healthy non-sporting subjects, or vestibular patients are based on the acquisition of visual–spatial and training information. In this study, we analyzed the visual–spatial performance of 60 trained sportsmen (professional footballers), 60 healthy non-sports subjects, and 48 patients affected by chronic unilateral vestibular loss by means of the Navigation Ability Test 2.0. A score based on the number of targets correctly reached in the various tests quantifies the degree of performance of the subjects. Results: NAT 2.0 scores progressively improve from vestibular subjects to healthy non-sporting subjects to footballers. NAT 2.0 scores improve in all three subject groups as the number of tasks performed in all patient groups increases, regardless of gender and age. Conclusions: the analysis of performance data through NAT 2.0 in athletes (footballers) opens new perspectives for rehabilitation purposes, regardless of age, sex, and training conditions, both in healthy non-sporting subjects to improve their sporting potential and in patients affected by chronic vestibular dysfunction, in order to optimize their motor skills and prevent falls.