Balance/Vertigo

If you are experiencing dizziness or having balance issues, you may need to see an audiologist for testing.  

Vestibular testing is focused on finding inner ear problems that cause dizziness and vertigo and then finding a way to get better.   

Videonystagmography (VNG) consists of three parts. 
Ocular Motor testing checks that the muscles controlling eye movement are acting normal and tests to check if your dizziness could be caused by problems outside of your inner ear.  
Positioning and positional tests check if vertigo results from movements, you make or positions you move in.  This could indicate an imbalance between your two ears.  
Caloric testing checks your inner ear when warm or cool air is put in.  It can tell us if one side is weaker than the other or if both ears are not working well.   

Rotary Chair – This test tells us how your inner ears work together.  A chair will move back and forth; and your ears will cause your eyes to move. This can show how well you are doing after you become dizzy. Chair testing is also the gold standard to check for inner ear problems involving both ears at the same time.   

Video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) – This test measures eye movement as your head is moved quickly.  These head movements are done to check the semicircular canals of your inner ears. It can help us find if one specific part of the inner ear is not working well. 

Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMPs) – There are two types: cervical VEMPs and ocular VEMPs.  These test different parts of the inner ear compared to the other tests. Stickers (sensors) will be attached under the eyes and on the neck to test electrical activity from your head. These sensors do not hurt and feel like stickers coated in a slippery gel.  You will listen to a loud sound while looking upward at a target (ocular) or lift/turn your head (cervical).  This can show how well these parts of the balance organs are working.  

Electrocochleography (EcoG) – This test checks electrical activity of the inner ear hearing organ (cochlea) and hearing nerve using stickers (sensors) while listening to a sound in your ear. It is often used to help diagnose Meniere’s Disease.     

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) – This test checks electrical activity from the hearing nerve while listening to a sounds in your ear. It can help find problems which happen along the nerve that can cause dizziness beyond the inner ear.  It uses stickers (sensors) on your ears. This is completely painless.