Establishing a "Vestibular Migraine Diagnosis Questionnaire" and Testing Its Validity

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Otolaryngology
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Vestibular migraine is a leading cause of recurrent vertigo, yet often underdiagnosed.
• Validated screening tools are needed for primary care and specialized clinics.
• Current diagnostic methods can be time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a questionnaire for diagnosing vestibular migraine.
• To assess the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the new questionnaire.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire with 8 questions was administered to 60 patients with recurrent vestibular symptoms.
• Questionnaire diagnoses were compared against clinical diagnoses from interviews and examinations.
• Test-retest reliability was assessed by re-administering the questionnaire after one week.
• Kappa analysis was used for reliability and diagnostic conformity assessment.

Main Results:

• The questionnaire demonstrated 83.3% conformity with clinical diagnosis (κ=0.666, good).
• Sensitivity was 82.8% and specificity was 83.9%.
• Test-retest reliability for individual questions ranged from good to excellent (κ=0.71–0.87).

Conclusions:

• The Vestibular Migraine Diagnosis Questionnaire is a valid and reliable screening tool.
• It can effectively identify patients with vestibular migraine in clinical settings.
• The questionnaire supports efficient diagnosis in dizziness and migraine clinics.