Vascular mechanisms in acute unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy: a systematic review

• Main Author: Simões, João
• Publication Date: 2021
• Other Authors: Vlaminck, Stephan, Seiça, Raquel, Acke, Frederic, Miguéis, António
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: https://hdl.handle.net/10316/103551; https://doi.org/10.14639/0392-100X-N1543
• topic: acute unilateral vestibulopathy; risk factors; vestibular neuritis; vascular; acute vertigo; vestibolopatia unilaterale acuta; fattori di rischio; neurite vestibolare; vascolare; vertigini acute; Humans; Vestibular Diseases; Vestibular Neuronitis

Acute unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy (AUPVP) is a frequent cause of vestibular loss. Several aetiologies have been proposed, but the exact mechanism remains unknown. The aim of this study is a systematic analysis of the literature evaluating the vascular aetiology of AUPVP. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase, including articles published from January 1st, 2010 to November 30th, 2020. Two reviewers independently selected articles investigating a link between AUPVP and vascular disease. The following information was extracted: year of publication, country, level of evidence, assessed vascular risk factors and number of patients. A total of 450 articles was obtained. Eleven articles were retained with 100% agreement between the two reviewers. In a pooled population of 805 patients, the main results were the higher neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and higher prevalence of vascular risk factors among AUPVP patients. A meta-analysis was not performed because the studies were too heterogeneous in terms of methodology. Indirect arguments for vascular mechanisms in AUPVP were found. These findings indicate that larger prospective well-controlled studies are needed to clarify the vascular aetiology of AUPVP.