Efficacy of the Li maneuver in treating posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Abstract

Conclusion: The Li maneuver is a safe, effective, and simple repositioning method for the treatment of BPPV. It is simple to master and exerts an exact effect. As a rapid repositioning method, the Li maneuver can result in reduced treatment times and increased treatment efficacy, and is, therefore, especially suitable for patients with limited cervical spine movement.

Objective: To compare the short-term efficacies of the Li and Epley maneuvers in treating posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (PC-BPPV).

Methods: A total of 120 patients with PC-BPPV were randomly treated by either the Li or Epley maneuvers at our department between May 5, 2014 and July 30, 2015. Follow-up examinations were performed 3 days and 1 week after the first repositioning.

Results: Of the 120 patients initially enrolled, 113 (72 females; 41 males; average age = 52 years; Li and Epley maneuver groups, 56 and 57 cases, respectively) satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria of this study. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of patients in terms of the success rates of treatment at either the 3-day or 1-week follow-ups (p = .756 and .520, respectively).

Keywords:

• Repositioning maneuver
• benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
• posterior canal
• prospective randomized comparative study

Acknowledgments

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.