Interobserver agreement in BPPV diagnosis using eye movement recordings

Abstract Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most prevalent peripheral vestibular disorders seen in specialized dizziness clinics. Despite being a well-understood condition with effective treatment options, BPPV remains associated with significant diagnostic delays and healthca...

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Main Authors: Ali A. Melliti, Rajneesh Bhandari, Anita Bhandari, Andrea Castellucci, Marie-Cecile Gerards, Bre Myers, Vipin Ola, Peter Oostenbrink, Hans Van Kampen, Sophie Vanbelle, Raymond van de Berg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15807-x
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author Ali A. Melliti
Rajneesh Bhandari
Anita Bhandari
Andrea Castellucci
Marie-Cecile Gerards
Bre Myers
Vipin Ola
Peter Oostenbrink
Hans Van Kampen
Sophie Vanbelle
Raymond van de Berg
author_facet Ali A. Melliti
Rajneesh Bhandari
Anita Bhandari
Andrea Castellucci
Marie-Cecile Gerards
Bre Myers
Vipin Ola
Peter Oostenbrink
Hans Van Kampen
Sophie Vanbelle
Raymond van de Berg
author_sort Ali A. Melliti
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most prevalent peripheral vestibular disorders seen in specialized dizziness clinics. Despite being a well-understood condition with effective treatment options, BPPV remains associated with significant diagnostic delays and healthcare costs. If proven reliable, telemedicine approaches could help address these challenges by improving diagnostic accessibility and efficiency. To investigate the interobserver agreement in BPPV diagnosis, when using eye movement recordings. Six vestibular medicine specialists (Specialist 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) were recruited to participate in this study. The specialists were asked to evaluate the recordings of 240 patient cases who underwent assessment for BPPV (first assessment). After viewing the recordings of each case, they were required to make a BPPV diagnosis. Five specialists (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) agreed to repeat the procedure twice, to additionally evaluate the intraobserver agreement (second assessment). The proportion of agreement and Cohen’s kappa were calculated for both interobserver and intraobserver agreement. Furthermore, agreement with the original diagnoses was evaluated. The interobserver agreement between experts was fair to moderate with a Cohen’s kappa value of 0.40 (CI 95% [0.35, 0.45]) and a proportion of agreement of 60% (CI 95% [54, 67]). Specialists 2, 4, and 5 exhibited substantial intraobserver agreement. In contrast, Specialist 3 demonstrated fair intraobserver agreement, while Specialist 6 showed almost perfect intraobserver agreement. Regarding the first assessment, agreement with the original diagnoses ranged from fair to substantial, with kappa values between 0.40 and 0.70, and corresponding percentages between 58 and 78%. Similar results were observed for the second assessment. The interobserver agreement between specialists diagnosing BPPV using eye movement recordings, was fair to moderate. The suboptimal agreement could be related to missing clinical information (e.g. patient history and symptoms during positional maneuvers). Future studies should incorporate this information and reassess interobserver agreement.
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spelling doaj-art-15c2a61da52e48b6a4df7b5d75bbc96a2025-08-20T03:44:00ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-011511710.1038/s41598-025-15807-xInterobserver agreement in BPPV diagnosis using eye movement recordingsAli A. Melliti0Rajneesh Bhandari1Anita Bhandari2Andrea Castellucci3Marie-Cecile Gerards4Bre Myers5Vipin Ola6Peter Oostenbrink7Hans Van Kampen8Sophie Vanbelle9Raymond van de Berg10Division of Vestibular Disorders, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical CenterNeuroEquilibrium Diagnostic Systems Pvt Ltd.Vertigo and Ear ClinicENT Unit, Department of Surgery, Azienda USL-IRCCSDivision of Vestibular Disorders, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical CenterOsborne Audiology, CNHP, Drexel UniversityApex HospitalsApeldoorn Dizziness Centre, Gelre ZiekenhuizenApeldoorn Dizziness Centre, Gelre ZiekenhuizenMethodology and Statistics, CAPHRI, Maastricht UniversityDivision of Vestibular Disorders, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical CenterAbstract Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most prevalent peripheral vestibular disorders seen in specialized dizziness clinics. Despite being a well-understood condition with effective treatment options, BPPV remains associated with significant diagnostic delays and healthcare costs. If proven reliable, telemedicine approaches could help address these challenges by improving diagnostic accessibility and efficiency. To investigate the interobserver agreement in BPPV diagnosis, when using eye movement recordings. Six vestibular medicine specialists (Specialist 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) were recruited to participate in this study. The specialists were asked to evaluate the recordings of 240 patient cases who underwent assessment for BPPV (first assessment). After viewing the recordings of each case, they were required to make a BPPV diagnosis. Five specialists (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) agreed to repeat the procedure twice, to additionally evaluate the intraobserver agreement (second assessment). The proportion of agreement and Cohen’s kappa were calculated for both interobserver and intraobserver agreement. Furthermore, agreement with the original diagnoses was evaluated. The interobserver agreement between experts was fair to moderate with a Cohen’s kappa value of 0.40 (CI 95% [0.35, 0.45]) and a proportion of agreement of 60% (CI 95% [54, 67]). Specialists 2, 4, and 5 exhibited substantial intraobserver agreement. In contrast, Specialist 3 demonstrated fair intraobserver agreement, while Specialist 6 showed almost perfect intraobserver agreement. Regarding the first assessment, agreement with the original diagnoses ranged from fair to substantial, with kappa values between 0.40 and 0.70, and corresponding percentages between 58 and 78%. Similar results were observed for the second assessment. The interobserver agreement between specialists diagnosing BPPV using eye movement recordings, was fair to moderate. The suboptimal agreement could be related to missing clinical information (e.g. patient history and symptoms during positional maneuvers). Future studies should incorporate this information and reassess interobserver agreement.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15807-xInterobserver agreementBPPVTelemedicineNystagmusVertigo
spellingShingle Ali A. Melliti
Rajneesh Bhandari
Anita Bhandari
Andrea Castellucci
Marie-Cecile Gerards
Bre Myers
Vipin Ola
Peter Oostenbrink
Hans Van Kampen
Sophie Vanbelle
Raymond van de Berg
Interobserver agreement in BPPV diagnosis using eye movement recordings
Scientific Reports
Interobserver agreement
BPPV
Telemedicine
Nystagmus
Vertigo
title Interobserver agreement in BPPV diagnosis using eye movement recordings
title_full Interobserver agreement in BPPV diagnosis using eye movement recordings
title_fullStr Interobserver agreement in BPPV diagnosis using eye movement recordings
title_full_unstemmed Interobserver agreement in BPPV diagnosis using eye movement recordings
title_short Interobserver agreement in BPPV diagnosis using eye movement recordings
title_sort interobserver agreement in bppv diagnosis using eye movement recordings
topic Interobserver agreement
BPPV
Telemedicine
Nystagmus
Vertigo
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15807-x
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