Patients with isolated acute-onset continuous dizziness (iAOCD) are commonly seen at the emergency department (ED). Distinguishing peripheral vestibular disorders from central causes remains challenging. Existing diagnostic tools, including bedside examination and neuroimaging, have important limitations....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Otolin-1 shows promise as a blood biomarker for differentiating peripheral from central dizziness, but this single study from an emergency department setting requires replication before any clinical adoption.
A reliable blood biomarker for triaging acute dizziness could dramatically improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce unnecessary imaging in emergency settings, directly benefiting vestibular care pathways.
- 01Otolin-1 (a protein released from inner-ear otolith organs) was evaluated as a blood biomarker for acute continuous dizziness.
- 02The study aimed to distinguish peripheral vestibular disorders from central causes (e.g., stroke) in ED patients.
- 03Published in PLoS ONE; study was conducted in an emergency department setting.
- 04A reliable triage biomarker for dizziness would reduce reliance on imaging and shorten time-to-diagnosis.
- 05Results are preliminary; multicenter replication is needed before clinical use.
Otolin-1 blood levels can differentiate peripheral vestibular disorders from central causes of acute continuous dizziness.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42911946
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0361036.
- Journal
- PLoS ONE
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Emergency department patients presenting with acute continuous dizziness
- Intervention
- Measurement of serum Otolin-1 levels as a diagnostic biomarker
- Comparator
- Clinical diagnosis of central vs. peripheral vestibular cause
Primary outcomes
Diagnostic accuracy of Otolin-1 in differentiating peripheral from central causes of acute continuous dizziness