Cost-effectiveness of CT perfusion, low-field MRI, and delayed high-field MRI in emergency department patients with dizziness concerning for stroke

Stroke diagnoses may be missed or delayed in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute dizziness or vertigo. Even in patients who do not receive acute stroke treatment, accurate diagnosis is still essential to improve outcomes to ensure appropriate risk stratification and initiation of secondary prevention strategies....

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No actionable change for audiologists; this cost-effectiveness analysis targets emergency medicine and neurology decision-makers, not audiology practice directly, though results may affect how dizzy patients are triaged before audiology referral.

Identifying the most cost-effective imaging pathway for stroke-related dizziness has downstream implications for how audiologists receive and interact with acutely dizzy patients referred from emergency settings.

1. 01Study compares CT perfusion, low-field MRI, and delayed high-field MRI for acute dizziness/vertigo evaluation in the ED.
2. 02Analysis frames the comparison around both cost and diagnostic accuracy for ruling out stroke.
3. 03Low-field (portable) MRI is an emerging technology being evaluated against established imaging standards.
4. 04Findings are relevant to ED protocols that precede audiology and neurotology referral.
5. 05Results could influence triage pathways for patients with acute vestibular presentations.

PMID

42550213

DOI

10.1007/s00234-026-04123-4.

Journal

Neuroradiology

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

2b

Population

Emergency department patients presenting with acute dizziness or vertigo concerning for stroke

Intervention

CT perfusion or low-field MRI for stroke assessment in acute dizziness

Comparator

Delayed high-field MRI