A Chair-based Abbreviated Repositioning Maneuver (ChARM) for fast treatment of posterior BPPV

To assess the effectiveness of a variation of the Epley maneuver, which we have titled "Chair-based Abbreviated Repositioning maneuver (ChARM)", in solving cases of benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV) of the posterior canal. ChARM addresses multiple issues of highly overloaded medical centers that delay its due and timely resolution. For example it does not necessitate an examination bed/table and requires only a backed chair, and less than 3 min to be performed. In combination with a recently published abbreviated diagnostic maneuver it can solve BPPV cases within few minutes of single medical visit.

Patients being diagnosed with posterior BPPV by means of an abbreviated diagnostic maneuver were recruited. Immediately after diagnosis, a single attempt of ChARM was conducted. The patient was followed for 48 h and at 1 month after these procedures to assess the persistence of symptomatology.

124 patients were treated with ChARM immediately after diagnosis during their very first medical visit. 92 patients (74.2%) solved their symptomatology completely after a single attempt of ChARM. The absence of symptoms persisted during the 30 days of follow-up.

ChARM showed high success rates in solving posterior BPPV. The entire diagnostic-treatment procedure takes less than 5 min to perform and may allow direct treatment of patients, thereby avoiding unnecessary referrals or full vestibular testing. These abbreviated tools may be particularly useful in primary care settings or heavily overloaded otolaryngology or neurology departments.