Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology (Jun 2013)
Reabilitação vestibular com realidade virtual na doença de Ménière Vestibular rehabilitation with virtual reality in Ménière's disease
Abstract
A tecnologia de realidade virtual fornece uma grande variedade de estímulos que geram conflitos sensoriais em diferentes níveis de dificuldades e em ambiente seguro. OBJETIVO: Verificar o efeito de um programa de reabilitação vestibular do equilíbrio corporal com estímulos de realidade virtual em pacientes com doença de Ménière. Forma de estudo: Estudo clínico observacional. MÉTODO: Quarenta e quatro pacientes, com idade entre 18 e 60 anos e doença de Ménière definida, distribuídos em dois grupos - experimental (GE) e controle (GC) - fizeram uso de betaistina e dieta alimentar; o grupo experimental foi submetido adicionalmente a 12 sessões de reabilitação com realidade virtual da BRU TM. Os pacientes responderam ao Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), à escala analógica de tontura e realizaram a posturografia com realidade virtual antes e após a intervenção. RESULTADOS: Após a intervenção, o GE apresentou valores significantemente menores do DHI (p Virtual reality technology can provide a wide range of sensory stimuli to generate conflicts of varying degrees of complexity in a safe environment. OBJECTIVE: To verify the effect of a virtual realitybased balance rehabilitation program for patients with Menière's disease. METHOD: This observational clinical study included 44 patients aged between 18 and 60 years diagnosed with Menière's disease submitted to a controlled randomized therapeutic intervention. The case and control groups took betahistine and followed a diet. Case group subjects underwent 12 rehabilitation sessions with virtual reality stimuli in a Balance Rehabilitation Unit (BRU TM). Patients were assessed based on DHI scores, the dizziness visual analogue scale, and underwent posturography with virtual reality before and after the intervention. RESULTS: After the intervention, the case group showed significantly lower scores in DHI (p < 0,001) and in the dizziness visual analog scale (p = 0.012), and had significantly greater limit of stability areas (p = 0.016) than controls. CONCLUSION: Virtual reality-based balance rehabilitation effectively improved dizziness, quality of life, and limit of stability of patients with Menière's disease.
