Can video head impulse testing aid differential assessment of suspected vestibular migraine attacks?

Vestibular migraine is a clinically defined disorder characterized by recurrent vestibular symptoms associated with migraine features, and its acute attacks may be difficult to distinguish from peripheral vestibular disorders such as acute unilateral vestibulopathy/vestibular neuritis, Ménière's disease, and vestibular schwannoma....

Continue reading at PubMed →

vHIT shows promise for differentiating vestibular migraine from other vestibular disorders acutely, but evidence remains preliminary; do not change diagnostic protocols until larger prospective studies confirm utility.

Accurate and rapid differentiation of vestibular migraine from structural vestibular disorders has direct implications for triage, treatment selection, and avoiding unnecessary imaging in the clinic.

1. 01Investigates vHIT (video head impulse test) as a differential diagnostic tool for vestibular migraine during acute attacks.
2. 02Vestibular migraine is a common but frequently misdiagnosed cause of episodic dizziness.
3. 03vHIT measures how well the inner ear stabilizes gaze during rapid head movements.
4. 04Published in Frontiers in Neurology; diagnostic accuracy data and sample size not available from title/abstract.
5. 05Findings could refine acute vestibular assessment workflows if validated prospectively.

PMID

42676809

DOI

10.3389/fneur.2026.1926662.

Journal

Frontiers in Neurology

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Patients presenting with suspected vestibular migraine attacks

Intervention

Video head impulse testing (vHIT) during acute vestibular episodes

Comparator

Other vestibular disorders (e.g., Ménière's disease, vestibular neuritis)