The Sudbury Vertigo Risk Score is an emergency-department clinical risk score used to estimate whether a patient with acute vertigo/dizziness is at increased risk of a serious central diagnosis, such as stroke, TIA, vertebral artery dissection, or brain tumor. It was developed to help guide decisions about further investigation, consultation, and treatment.

It combines a small set of clinical features into a point score, including male sex, age over 65, diabetes, hypertension, motor or sensory deficit, cerebellar signs/symptoms, and whether there is a BPPV diagnosis. Higher scores mean higher risk.

The commonly used interpretation bands are:

• <5: low risk
• 5–8: intermediate risk
• >8: high risk

In the derivation study, the observed risk of a serious diagnosis was 0% for scores <5, 2.1% for scores 5–8, and 41% for scores >8. In a later validation study, the observed risk was 0% for <5, 0.9% for 5–8, and 16.7% for >8.

So, in simple terms, it is a tool to help clinicians spot which vertigo patients may need more urgent workup for a dangerous central cause. It supports judgment; it does not replace the neurologic exam or imaging when those are needed.