Assessing Agreement Between Upright and Supine Head Roll Tests for Horizontal Semicircular Canal Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Abstract

Background and Objectives The newly introduced upright head roll test (UHRT), which exploits head rotations in the roll plane with the patient in the upright sitting position, is a diagnostic maneuver for horizontal canal-benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (HC-BPPV). This study is designed to determine whether UHRT, compared to supine head roll test (SHRT), can more accurately diagnose HC-BPPV and determine the subtype of HC-BPPV.Subjects and Method A total of 455 video nystagmus tests performed between April 2019 to June 2021 were retrospectively reviewed, and 63 patients with direction-changing positional nystagmus at UHRT or SHRT were enrolled in this study. UHRT result was classified as negative (if no nystagmus was observed), positive incomplete (if nystagmus was detected in one side), and positive complete (if nystagmus was evoked in both side). The frequency of nystagmus is also included in our assessment. In addition, the results of 4 patients with bow and lean test (BLT) records on videonystagmography were also analysed.Results The concordance rate between UHRT and SHRT was 97.8%, and the positive concordance rate was 91.38%. UHRT and SHRT provided identical subtype diagnosis in 98.1% (52 of 53 cases). In one case, UHRT and SHRT showed opposite results. Evaluating the affected side with bow and lean records, the SHRT, UHRT and BLT showed consistent results. The mean frequency of nystagmus was faster in SHRT than in UHRT.Conclusion UHRT showed equivalent results to SHRT in distinguishing subtype of HC-BPPV. UHRT is a useful method in diagnosing HC-BPPV simply in a sitting position.