Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41874072›Full record

ArticleAudiology research2026

Bedside Approach to Acute Vertigo with Spontaneous Horizontal Nystagmus: The Role of Simultaneous Ice-Water Test Stimulation and Its Correlation with the HINTS Protocol in Differentiating Peripheral and Central Etiologies.

Luigi Califano, Cataldo Latorre, Maria Grazia Melillo, Iacopo Cangiano, Giuseppe Manna, Maria Gabriella Coppola, Roberto Teggi

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Article in Audiology research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Luigi CalifanoAudiology and Phoniatrics Department, AORN San Pio, Via dell'Angelo 1, 82100 Benevento, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4000-0024
Cataldo LatorreDepartment of Otolaryngology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, San Raffaele Hospital, Via Olgettina 60, 20132 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0009-0009-7727-4249
Maria Grazia MelilloAudiology and Phoniatrics Department, AORN San Pio, Via dell'Angelo 1, 82100 Benevento, Italy.
Iacopo CangianoDepartment of Otolaryngology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, San Raffaele Hospital, Via Olgettina 60, 20132 Milan, Italy.
Giuseppe MannaDepartment of Otolaryngology, San Leonardo Hospital, Viale Europa 79, 80053 Naples, Italy.ORCID 0009-0004-2376-7068
Maria Gabriella CoppolaEmergency Department, AORN San Pio, Via dell'Angelo 1, 82100 Benevento, Italy.
Roberto TeggiDepartment of Otolaryngology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, San Raffaele Hospital, Via Olgettina 60, 20132 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2948-4638

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAcute vertigo is among the most frequent causes of access to the Emergency Department. In acute vestibular syndrome, differentiating peripheral from central causes remains challenging. The HINTS protocol provides high diagnostic accuracy but requires expertise and adequately informed physicians. The caloric ice-water test has recently been proposed as a bedside tool to aid this differential diagnosis. This study evaluates a novel approach: simultaneous bilateral ice-water irrigation in association with the HINTS protocol.

methodsOne hundred consecutive patients presenting with acute vertigo and spontaneous unidirectional nystagmus were enrolled across three Italian centers. All patients underwent clinical assessment including among other the HINTS protocol and the simultaneous bilateral ice-water irrigation. Changes in spontaneous nystagmus during the ice test were recorded.

resultsEighty-six patients fulfilled HINTS criteria for acute unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy, all of whom demonstrated marked suppression/abolition of nystagmus during the simultaneous ice test. In contrast, nystagmus persisted in all 12 patients classified as having central vestibular pathology.

conclusionsSimultaneous bilateral ice-water irrigation is a simple and well-tolerated bedside test that demonstrates strong concordance with the HINTS protocol. While it cannot replace comprehensive clinical assessment, it represents a valuable complementary tool to distinguish peripheral from central causes of acute vertigo.

Indexed as

acute vertigo acute unilateral vestibulopathybedside examinationcaloric testHINTS

Identifiers

PMID41874072
PMCPMC13010788

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.