People suddenly suffering from dizziness may be experiencing vertigo—or they may be having a stroke. Until recently, the only definitive way to correctly diagnose the cause was through an MRI scan. A new study suggests that a device called a video-oculography machine may help doctors assess the cause of a patient’s dizziness, more quickly and at the bedside.
People suddenly suffering
from dizziness may be experiencing vertigo—or they may be having a stroke.
Until recently, the only definitive way to correctly diagnose the cause was
through an MRI scan. A new study suggests that a device called a
video-oculography machine may help doctors assess the cause of a patient’s
dizziness, more quickly and at the bedside.
In use in Europe for about a year, the device delivers a
modification of a "head impulse test," which is used regularly for
people with chronic dizziness and other inner ear-balance disorders. Using a
pair of goggles hooked up to a webcam and special software, clinicians ask the
patient to focus on one spot on the wall while the doctor moves the patient's
head from side to side. Normally, the balance system in the ears keeps our eyes
stable when our head is moving but for people with vertigo, the test is almost
always abnormal. Stroke patients do not have this limitation.
In contrast, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can take
up to six hours to complete—and time is of the essence in the event of a
stroke. The study results will be published in the April issue of the journal Stroke. Although it was
small—only 12 patients were included—the study was 100 percent accurate in
correctly identifying those patients who were—and were not—having a stroke.
More studies are needed on a broader scale to confirm these results.