Mediterr. J. Otol 2008; 4:(1)

Vestibular Rehabilitation Outcome of Patients with Unilateral Vestibular Deficits

Bulent Serbetcioglu, Basak Mutlu

Dokuz Eylül University, Otolaryngology Department, Audiology-Speech and Vetibular Unit. Izmir, Turkey serbetcioglu@gmail.com

Objective: Patients with vestibular disorders frequently report vertigo, imbalance and gait problems.  Pioneering authors Cawthorne and Cooksey suggested a treatment for vertigo that was a radical departure from the traditional medical management that many physicans still use today. The aims of this prospective study were to assess the efficacy of vestibular rehabilitation program for patients with unilateral peripheral vestibular deficits and to calculate the validation of the Turkish version of Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI-TR). Methods: Patients who had been diagnosed as unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy between January 2003-June 2007 in Dokuz Eylül University, Medical School, Department of Otolaryngology are assessed during pre and post-rehabilitation periods in terms of functional, physical and emotional conditions using the DHI-TR.

Results: The mean age of patient group (n=47) was 52.2±13.5 years. The DHI-TR has been shown to retain good test-retest reliability (item-total correlation range >0.4) and internal consistency (Cronbach alpha value=0.833). Applied vestibular rehabilitation programme found to be effective for treating unilateral peripheral vestibular pathologies (p<0.001). Improvement affects the performance of activities of daily living.

Conclusion: As a result we found that the DHI-TR has enough reliability and validity to assess the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation programme.