Is CT Useful for Determining the Cause of Vertigo?

Distinguishing between peripheral and central causes of vertigo is challenging, and computed tomography (CT) is often used in the hope of providing key discriminatory information. Researchers reviewed the charts of 448 patients who underwent CT for dizziness at an academic emergency department to determine if a cause was identified and if follow-up imaging (performed in 104 patients) led to a change in diagnosis.

Acute or subacute findings (bleed, neoplasm with or without midline shift or herniation, new or worsening hydrocephalus) were identified on 2.2% of initial CT scans; there were no findings of posterior fossa stroke. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) led to a change in diagnosis in 16% of patients, most often by identifying …