Arfa Samreen R1, Siddharth Bhattacharjee2, S Shailesh Shetty3, Lokesh Bathala4, H K Anuradha5, Vijay K Sharma6. 1. Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, India. Electronic address: drarfa.samreen@asterhospital.com. 2. Dept. of Neurology, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, India. Electronic address: drsiddharth.bhattacharjee@asterhospital.com. 3. Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, India. Electronic address: drshailesh.shetty@asterhospital.com. 4. Dept. of Neurology, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, India. Electronic address: drlokesh.b@asterhospital.com. 5. Dept. of Neurology, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, India. Electronic address: dranuradha.hk@asterhospital.com. 6. Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and Division of Neurology, National University Hospital, Singapore. Electronic address: mdcvks@nus.edu.sg.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Vertigo is an abnormal sensation of motion which arises due to a mismatch between various sensory modalities involved in maintaining balance. Vertigo can be due to central or peripheral causes and intensely debilitating for some patients. Acute onset vertigo is defined as the commencement of vertigo within 24 h. This can present with a variety of overlapping symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish central from peripheral causes. In the emergency setting, mis-diagnosing acute onset vertigo as benign may have serious implications. METHODS: This prospective study included consecutive patients presenting to our Emergency Department with acute vertigo between March 2019 and March 2020. We aimed to evaluate and validate the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain among patients with acute onset vertigo. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients with acute onset vertigo were recruited. MRI of the brain revealed acute changes in 23 (32.9%) out of the 70 patients included in the study. Even among the 29 (41.4%) patients who presented with isolated vertigo without any other clinical signs, MRI of the brain showed acute changes in 3 (10.3%) of them. CONCLUSION: MRI is a useful tool in diagnosing and differentiating peripheral from a central cause of vertigo. It avoids misdiagnosis in the emergency setting and facilitates early administration of appropriate treatment.
INTRODUCTION: Vertigo is an abnormal sensation of motion which arises due to a mismatch between various sensory modalities involved in maintaining balance. Vertigo can be due to central or peripheral causes and intensely debilitating for some patients. Acute onset vertigo is defined as the commencement of vertigo within 24 h. This can present with a variety of overlapping symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish central from peripheral causes. In the emergency setting, mis-diagnosing acute onset vertigo as benign may have serious implications. METHODS: This prospective study included consecutive patients presenting to our Emergency Department with acute vertigo between March 2019 and March 2020. We aimed to evaluate and validate the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain among patients with acute onset vertigo. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients with acute onset vertigo were recruited. MRI of the brain revealed acute changes in 23 (32.9%) out of the 70 patients included in the study. Even among the 29 (41.4%) patients who presented with isolated vertigo without any other clinical signs, MRI of the brain showed acute changes in 3 (10.3%) of them. CONCLUSION: MRI is a useful tool in diagnosing and differentiating peripheral from a central cause of vertigo. It avoids misdiagnosis in the emergency setting and facilitates early administration of appropriate treatment.