Acute and episodic vestibular syndromes caused by ischemic stroke: predilection sites and risk factors

Abstract

Objective This study was performed to investigate the predilection sites of acute vestibular syndrome (AVS) and episodic vestibular syndrome (EVS) caused by acute infarcts. Methods This retrospective cohort study was performed at a stroke center in a tertiary teaching hospital. We diagnosed patients with AVS/EVS caused by acute ischemic stroke using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and magnetic resonance angiography. Results Among all patients with AVS/EVS, 68 had DWI-positive ischemic events and 113 had DWI-negative ischemic events. Of the 68 patients with positive DWI findings, 42.6% had acute infarcts in the anterior circulation and 41.2% had acute infarcts in the posterior circulation. The main stroke predilection sites were the insular cortex (22.1%) and posterior thalamus (11.8%). Large vessel stenosis/occlusion (odds ratio, 0.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.04–0.36) and focal neurological symptoms/signs (odds ratio, 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.10–0.72) were significantly associated with the risk of AVS/EVS in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Conclusions The main predilection sites of AVS/EVS caused by ischemic stroke are the insular cortex and posterior thalamus. The risk of AVS/EVS is associated with large vessel stenosis and focal symptoms.