A randomized controlled clinical study on the treatment of residual dizziness after canalith repositioning of benign paroxy-smal positional vertigo with "Ear Three-Needle" acupuncture

To observe the clinical efficacy of the "Ear Three-Needle" acupuncture in treating residual dizziness after successful canalith repositioning procedures for benign paroxy-smal positional vertigo (BPPV).

Eighty patients with residual dizziness after BPPV repositioning who visited the Department of Neurology and the Vestibular Center at Zhuhai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine between November 2022 and November 2024 were randomly assigned via a random number table to either an acupuncture group or a control group, with 40 cases in each. The control group received conventional Western medication, while the acupuncture group received additional acupuncture treatment at the "Ear Three-Needle" acupoints (Tinggong [SI19], Tinghui [GB2], and Wangu [GB12]) for 30 minutes per session, once every other day, for two consecutive weeks. Changes in the Dizziness Handicap Inventory total score(DHI-T) and its subscale scores—physical (DHI-P), emotional (DHI-E), and functional (DHI-F)—were observed in both groups before and after treatment. Additionally, peripheral blood levels of red blood cell distribution width (RDW), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured. The proportion of patients with a DHI-T score ≤30 at the end of weeks 1 and 2, as well as the marked efficacy rate at week 4, were compared between the two groups.

Compared with baseline, the total DHI-T scores in both groups decreased at the end of weeks 1 and 2 and at the week 4 follow-up (P<0.01). The reduction was significantly associated with the group factor, time factor, and their interaction (P<0.01). Similarly, significant decreases were observed in the subscale scores of DHI-P, DHI-E, and DHI-F at all post-treatment time points (P<0.01), with the changes also being significantly correlated with the group, time, and their interaction (P<0.01). After two weeks of treatment, the acupuncture group demonstrated significantly lower levels of RDW and MDA (P<0.05), alongside higher SOD levels (P<0.01), compared to the control group. At the end of weeks 1 and 2, the proportion of patients with mild dizziness was significantly higher in the acupuncture group than in the control group (P<0.05). At the week 4 follow-up, the marked efficacy rate in the acupuncture group was also significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05).

The "Ear Three-Needle" acupuncture can alleviate residual dizziness symptoms and shorten the duration of dizziness. Its mechanism may be associated with the reduction of oxidative stress and improvement of inner ear microcirculation.