The term Vertigo is often used interchangeably with dizziness. Where Vertigo can be described as a false sense of motion, dizziness is a non-specific term used to describe a sense of imbalance.
The main components of the balance system are visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive (e.g. having your feet on the ground tells your body that you are standing upright). The central processing centre (the brain and its neural pathways) is responsible for relaying messages from these components. When there is a disturbance in any of these components or in the central processing centre, dizziness may occur.
Prior to a balance assessment, patients are required to fast for a minimum of 2 hours. We also require that alcohol and any medication that may suppress the balance system is avoided.
A balance assessment can take up to 3 hours to complete and includes various different tests which assess different parts of the balance system.
Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential testing is used to assess the integrity of the otolith organs called the Saccule and the Utricle, located in the inner ear. This test requires the audiologist to place electrodes on various areas of the head and neck, which will be used to record electrical potentials.
This test involves the patient wearing infrared goggles which monitor the eye movements. The patient will be asked to hold a steady gaze on a fixed point while the audiologist makes quick, short movements with the head.
Goggles are also worn during this test and the patient is asked to follow a moving target with their eyes.
During caloric testing, warm and cool air is irrigated into the ear, one side at a time, while the patient is lying on a bed whilst wearing goggles. It is completely normal to experience dizziness during this test, however it is temporary and subsides.
