Diagnosing the benign paroxysmal positional vertigo via 1D and deep-learning composite model

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is the leading cause of vertigo, and its characteristic nystagmus induced by positional maneuvers makes it a good model for Artificial Intelligence (AI) diagnosis. However, during the testing procedure, up to 10 min of indivisible long-range temporal correlation data are produced, making the AI-informed real-time diagnosing unlikely in clinical practice.

A combined 1D and Deep-Learning (DL) composite model was proposed. Two separate cohorts were recruited, with one for model generation and the other for evaluation of model's real-world generalizability. Eight features, including two head traces and three eye traces and their corresponding slow phase velocity (SPV) value, were served as the inputs. Three candidate models were tested, and a sensitivity study was conducted to determine the saliently important features.

The study included 2671 patients in the training cohort and 703 in the test cohort. A hybrid DL model achieved a micro-area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) of 0.982 (95% CI 0.965, 0.994) and macro-AUROC of 0.965 (95% CI 0.898, 0.999) for overall classification. The highest accuracy was observed for right posterior BPPV, with an AUROC of 0.991 (95% CI 0.972, 1.000), followed by left posterior BPPV, with an AUROC of 0.979 (95% CI 0.940, 0.998), the lowest AUROC was 0.928 (95% CI 0.878, 0.966) for lateral BPPV. The SPV was consistently identified as the most predictive feature in the models. If the model process is carried out 100 times for a 10-min data, one single running takes 0.79 ± 0.06 s.

This study designed DL models which can accurately detect and categorize the subtype of BPPV, enabling a quick and straightforward diagnosis of BPPV in clinical setting. The critical feature identified in the model helps expand our understanding of this disorder.