Effectiveness of the STANDING Algorithm for the Differential Diagnosis of Vertigo

The STANDING algorithm is composed by four steps. The first phase consists in evaluating the presence of spontaneous nystagmus at rest for at least five minutes with and without Frenzel goggles in order to assess if a acute vestibular syndrome is present. If there is not a spontaneous nystagmus, then positional maneuvers (Pagnini-Mc Cure and Dix-Hallpike) have to be performed. Otherwise if spontaneous nystagmus is observed, its feature are fundamental to diagnose a central vertigo. If nystagmus characteristics suggest a peripheral form, the head impulse test is performed by instructing the patient to keep eyes on a fixed target and then turned the head quickly. An abnormal response is typical of vestibular neuritis. In any cases after the described maneuvers, the patient must be evaluated when standing up and walking: if this turn out to be impossibile, the test is indicative of central nervous system disease.