Abstract Background Acute vestibular syndrome (AVS) is a common clinical syndrome in neurology clinics and emergency department. Canonical standard for AVS diagnosis requires the presence of persistent vertigo for more than 24 h. HINTS (head impulse-nystagmus-test of skew) is an emerging scheme in the diagnosis of AVS. In this prospective study, we evaluated the specificity and sensitivity of HINTS in distinguishing between central and peripheral AVS. Methods A cohort of 239 cases with complete clinical record was recruited in the study. All patients completed emergency brain CT examination to exclude hemorrhagic stroke. HINTS examination was conducted to distinguish between central AVS and peripheral AVS, and all patients completed head MRI, BAEP and vestibular function examinations within one week. Patients diagnosed as central AVS were subject to angiography (CTA/MRA/DSA), and patients with peripheral AVS were considered for a 3-month follow-up to correct the initial diagnosis. Results Patients with central AVS were associated with an elder age, higher incidences of hypertension, atrial fibrillation, family history of stroke and previous history of stroke. Posterior circulation cerebral infarction, vestibular migraine and cerebellitis were the dominant diseases associated with central AVS. The sensitivities of HIT, GE, and TS in the diagnosis of central AVS were 73.5%, 61.2%, and 26.5%, and the specificities were 97.9%, 92.6%, and 93.2% respectively. Conclusions The sensitivity of HINTS for central AVS diagnosis is 89.8% and the specificity is 84.2%. HINTS is an easy-to-operate, low-cost, high-sensitivity and specific examination technique, which is practical in neurology outpatient clinics and emergency departments.
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