Proprioceptive Cervicogenic Dizziness Care Trajectories in Patient Subpopulations: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Proprioceptive cervicogenic dizziness (PCGD) is the most prevalent subcategory of cervicogenic dizziness. There is considerable confusion regarding this clinical syndrome’s differential diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment strategy. Our objectives were to conduct a systematic search to map out characteristics of the literature and of potential subpopulations of PCGD, and to classify accordingly the knowledge contained in the literature regarding interventions, outcomes and diagnosis. A Joanna Briggs Institute methodology-informed scoping review of the French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian literature from January 2000 to June 2021 was undertaken on PsycInfo, Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), All EBM Reviews (Ovid), CINAHL (Ebsco), Web of Science and Scopus databases. All pertinent randomized control trials, case studies, literature reviews, meta-analyses, and observational studies were retrieved. Evidence-charting methods were executed by two independent researchers at each stage of the scoping review. The search yielded 156 articles. Based on the potential etiology of the clinical syndrome, the analysis identified four main subpopulations of PCGD: chronic cervicalgia, traumatic, degenerative cervical disease, and occupational. The three most commonly occurring differential diagnosis categories are central causes, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and otologic pathologies. The four most cited measures of change were the dizziness handicap inventory, visual analog scale for neck pain, cervical range of motion, and posturography. Across subpopulations, exercise therapy and manual therapy are the most commonly encountered interventions in the literature. PCGD patients have heterogeneous etiologies which can impact their care trajectory. Adapted care trajectories should be used for the different subpopulations by optimizing differential diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation of outcomes.