The Effect of Vestibular Rehabilitation in Patients with Ménière’s Disease: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective To systematically review the evidence on the effect of vestibular rehabilitation in patients with Ménière’s disease (MD) on balance and dizziness-related quality of life. Data Sources A literature search was conducted in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases. Review Methods Articles were reviewed by 2 independent authors and data were compiled in tables for analysis regarding balance (ie, posturography) and dizziness-specific quality of life in patients with MD. A comprehensive search was performed up to November 2015. Studies on relevance and methodological quality were assessed by means of the Cochrane risk of bias tool. For outcome on balance and quality of life, we calculated mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals. Results A total of 986 unique studies were retrieved. Five studies, including a total of 498 patients, fulfilled the eligibility criteria, including 2 randomized controlled trials and 3 prospective cohort studies. There was no study with a low risk of bias. We found inconsistent evidence for the effect of vestibular rehabilitation on balance and dizziness-related quality of life. Conclusion Based on the low quality of the selected studies, it is inconclusive whether there is a positive effect of vestibular rehabilitation in patients with MD on balance and dizziness-related quality of life.