Traumatic BPPV triples recurrence risk versus idiopathic BPPV in meta-analysis of 4,074 patients

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Frontiers in Medicine Published June 9, 2026 Medically reviewed June 9, 2026 DOI ↗ By Dr. Ji-eun Park, MD · Brain, Mind & Pain

Key Takeaway

Consider that traumatic BPPV carries a 3.39-fold higher recurrence risk than idiopathic BPPV.

This meta-analysis compared treatment efficacy and prognosis between traumatic BPPV (t-BPPV) and idiopathic BPPV (i-BPPV) across a pooled sample of 4,074 patients. The primary focus was on recurrence rate as a key secondary outcome. The analysis found that t-BPPV demonstrated significantly poorer outcomes compared with i-BPPV, with a relative risk of 3.39 (95% CI 3.07–3.74) for recurrence. This indicates that patients with traumatic BPPV are more than three times as likely to experience recurrence as those with idiopathic BPPV. The study provides evidence-based guidance for clinical practice, highlighting the need for closer follow-up and possibly more aggressive management in traumatic cases. However, as an associative comparative study, causality cannot be inferred. Limitations were not reported in the source, and details on follow-up duration, adverse events, and funding were not available. Clinicians should consider these findings when counseling patients and planning treatment, but should also recognize the observational nature of the evidence.

Study Details

Study typeMeta analysis

EvidenceLevel 1

PublishedJun 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate differences in treatment efficacy and prognosis between traumatic benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (t-BPPV) and idiopathic BPPV (i-BPPV), and to provide evidence-based guidance for clinical practice.MethodsWe systematically searched 8 databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CBMdisc, Wanfang, CNKI, and VIP) for cohort studies comparing t-BPPV and i-BPPV, with the search period extending until September 2023. Two independent reviewers screened literature, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 12.0. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for dichotomous outcomes. Heterogeneity was evaluated via p-values and I2statistics, with fixed-effects models applied for I2 ≤ 50% and random-effects models otherwise.ResultsSeven high-quality cohort studies (NOS ≥ 6) involving 4,074 patients were included. Compared with i-BPPV, t-BPPV demonstrated significantly poorer outcomes across all metrics: higher recurrence rate (RR = 3.39, 95%CI 3.07–3.74, p 

Traumatic BPPV triples recurrence risk versus idiopathic BPPV in meta-analysis of 4,074 patients

Study Details

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Traumatic BPPV triples recurrence risk versus idiopathic BPPV in meta-analysis of 4,074 patients

Study Details

Intravenous tenecteplase improves functional outcomes but increases hemorrhage risk in non-large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke

Tenecteplase improves stroke recovery but increases bleeding risk in late treatment window

Clinical research that matters. Delivered to your inbox.

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