What Could Posturography Tell Us About Balance Problems in Parkinson's Disease?

Objective: Impaired balance in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) leads to loss of balance and frequent falls. Computerized dynamic posturography allows the assessment of stance tasks whereas mobile posturography analyzes the balance in free-field conditions, where falls among PD patients commonly occur (e.g.

Posturographic limits of stability can predict the increased risk of falls in elderly patients with instability?

Conclusions: There was a difference in average score of the sensory organization test (SOT) of the case group (elderly instability) compared to the control group (healthy subjects). Cases had worse scores on the limits of stability (LOS) than controls, but were only able to confirm statistically significant differences in the movement velocity.

Objective: To study the LOS of elderly patients with instability vs healthy subjects of the same age to try to explain the increased risk of falls in elderly patients with instability.

Blood Pressure Profile and Hypertensive Organ Damage in COPD Patients and Matched Controls. The RETAPOC Study.

Background: Several studies suggest that there is a pathogenic link between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, increased sympathetic tone has been described in several respiratory diseases. Our objective was to determine whether hypertension mediated by sympathetic overactivity is a mechanism that explains the association between COPD and cardiovascular diseases.

Balance Disorders in the Elderly: Does Instability Increase Over Time?

Objectives: To analyze the equilibriometric differences between 2 populations of elderly patients (young elderly and very elderly) with instability induced solely by age.

Methods: Cross-sectional study, with 2 study groups classified according to patient age (cut-points in twenty-fifth and seventy-fifth percentiles of the age of the sample).

Population: 64 patients aged 65 years or more.

Is there a relationship between short FES-I test scores and objective assessment of balance in the older people with age-induced instability?

Fear of falling (FOF) is a common problem among the elderly. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether there is a correlation between FOF, estimated via the short FES-I test, and objective evaluation of balance in a group of elderly patients with age-related instability. The balance of 139 subjects of more than 65 years of age is evaluated by the timed up and go test and the computerised dynamic posturography (CDP).

Impact of obesity in elderly patients with postural instability.

Objective: The aim of the study is to assess whether obesity affects balance in elderly patients with postural instability.

Study Design: It is a case-control study, with cases defined by BMI ≥30 kg/m(2), and developed in a third level university hospital.

Methods: We included 135 patients aged 65 years old or more who presented postural instability.

Reduction of falls in older people by improving balance with vestibular rehabilitation (ReFOVeRe study): design and methods.

Main Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation (VR) to improve the balance in older people, assessed immediately afterwards.

Secondary Objectives: (a) To verify the maintenance of improvement of the balance achieved in the medium term (6-12 months). (b) To consider whether this improvement results in a reduction in the number of falls.

Can we predict the risk of falls in elderly patients with instability?

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine whether clinical and instrumental examination of balance can predict the risk of falls in elderly patients with instability.

Study Design: It is a case control study, with cases defined by falls in the last year, developed in a third level university hospital.

Patients: Seventy patients aged 65 years or more who met at least one of the following inclusion criteria: (a) at least one fall in the last year; (b) spend more than 15s during the timed up and go test (TUG); (c) a score of less than 68% average balance in the sensory organisation test (SOT) of the computerised dynamic posturography (CDP); or (d) at least one fall in the CDP-SOT.

Is there a relationship between objective and subjective assessment of balance in elderly patients with instability?

To assess whether a subjective questionnaire that measures the disability caused by balance disorders in daily life activities is correlated to objective assessment of balance in elderly patients with age-related instability. We included 37 subjects aged 65 years or more who presented balance disorders induced solely by age. Balance assessment was through the sensory organisation test and limits of stability of computerised dynamic posturography, the SwayStar system and the modified timed up and go test.

Is posturography able to identify fallers in patients with Parkinson's disease?

Introduction: Parkinson' disease (PD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases, and more than half of patients with PD experience falls. Research for clinically useful risk factors predicting falls has yielded inconsistent findings so far. Hence the aim of the study is to validate two different posturography techniques and one modified-timed up and go test (TUG) in discriminating fallers and non-fallers among PD patients.

What is the optimal number of treatment sessions of vestibular rehabilitation?

Vestibular rehabilitation is effective and safe in patients with instability. However, there is insufficient evidence for distinguishing between efficacies of different dosage of therapies. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to verify whether there were differences between two computerised dynamic posturography (CDP) therapies of different numbers of sessions, in order to establish the optimal strategy.

Particle repositioning maneuver versus Brandt-Daroff exercise for treatment of unilateral idiopathic BPPV of the posterior semicircular canal: a randomized prospective clinical trial with short- and long-term outcome.

Objective: To compare the outcome and probability of recurrence in a series of patients with unilateral idiopathic benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the posterior canal (PC-BPPV) that were randomly treated by Brandt-Daroff exercise (B-D exercise) or by particle repositioning maneuver (PRM).

Study Design: Randomized prospective clinical trial.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Vibrotactile neurofeedback balance training in patients with Parkinson's disease: reducing the number of falls.

The aim of this study was to assess effectiveness of balance training with a vibrotactile neurofeedback system in improving overall stability in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Ten patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD were included. Individualization of the rehabilitation program started with a body sway analysis of stance and gait tasks (Standard Balance Deficit Test, SBDT) by using the diagnostic tool of the applied device (Vertiguard(®)-RT).

What is the most effective vestibular rehabilitation technique in patients with unilateral peripheral vestibular disorders?

Vestibular rehabilitation has been found to be effective and safe in patients with instability. There is insufficient evidence, however, for distinguishing between the efficacies of different rehabilitation techniques. The objective of this study is to verify whether there are differences between two instrumental vestibular rehabilitation techniques, computerised dynamic posturography (CDP) and optokinetic stimulation (OKN), in order to establish the optimal strategy for each patient.