Audiology + Vestibular Evaluation

Overview

Dizziness is a common health complaint. It can be caused by a virus, head injury or another condition, such as benign positional vertigo.

A vestibular evaluation can help your doctor diagnose what’s causing your dizziness and determine the correct course of treatment.

He or she may use videonystagmography (VNG) and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP). Both are non-invasive, painless tests that can evaluate the cause of your dizziness.

VNG tests the function of each inner ear as well as the coordination of eye movements.

VEMP tests a specific part of the inner ear that gives your body information about acceleration and vestibular nerve function. It also provides information about disorders that cause dizziness when you hear a loud sound.

Who is a good candidate for vestibular evaluation?

You may benefit from audiology services if you:

Have issues with vertigo, dizziness or imbalance, particularly if you don’t know what’s causing them.

Experience dizziness for longer than a month.

Have a known cause of dizziness, or you take medication that can cause damage to the vestibular system and you need monitoring.

As we age, balance issues become more common, but dizziness can happen at any age. These tests are best suited for those who are 10 years old or older.

Goals of audiology testing include:

Determining if dizziness is vestibular or non-vestibular

Determining if dizziness is coming from the ear or the brain

Narrowing down the diagnosis so a treatment plan can be initiated

Mary Free Bed uses a team approach for evaluating and treating balance disorders. An audiologist will perform VNG and VEMP testing, working closely with a neurotologist to properly interpret the test results and make appropriate recommendations.

We will share test results with your treatment team if vestibular rehabilitation is recommended.