What are different vertigo tests?
Vertigo is a feeling of being disoriented, imbalanced, dizzy, & nauseous. Patients often feel that they or their surroundings are spinning around, even without any external movement being present.
Vertigo is rarely a disorder on its own; it’s almost always a symptom of some underlying disease.
People with Vertigo can experience a range of symptoms-from headaches to hearing problems, dizziness-and nausea.
Vertigo is also of two types; Peripheral vertigo & Central vertigo.
Peripheral Vertigo is caused by an inner ear infection or structural abnormalities. Head injuries or ear surgery can also cause it.
While Central Vertigo is caused by a problem with the brain & the parts of it that control balance.
Some central nervous system disorders can also cause it.
While vertigo usually isn’t a fatal condition, it can significantly alter the quality of one’s life.
The constant dizzy spells, nausea, & disorientation can make one anxious to ever go out or have a social life.
This is why vertigo treatment is necessary for people suffering from it. However, in order to effectively treat vertigo, it is important to first diagnose it properly.
An accurate vertigo diagnosis will help your doctor formulate an adequate vertigo treatment strategy for you.
How is Vertigo diagnosis made?
Vertigo diagnosis is made using certain vertigo tests. Doctors recommend each test to a patient based on their symptoms, presentation, & medical history.
There might be instances where doctors order multiple vertigo tests for a patient. This is usually seen when the patient’s symptom presentation is vague and doesn’t point towards any one specific condition.
Each vertigo test assesses different aspects of the vestibular system, which maintains the body’s balance & position in space.
Below, we’ll tell you about some of the most common vertigo tests that doctors use to determine if somebody has vertigo.
1. Dix-Hallpike Maneuver
Your doctor uses the Dix-Hallpike maneuver as a vertigo test when they suspect that you have Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo(BPPV).
BPPV is a type of peripheral vertigo that causes the patient to feel sudden spells of dizziness, nausea, headaches, & spinning sensations.
BPPV attacks usually occur all of a sudden, & can last for anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours.
They can come & go in different time intervals & may be quite troublesome to manage.
It is also the most common cause of vertigo, accounting for nearly 80% of all cases.
The Dix-Hallpike maneuver is a simple, movement-based test that looks for signs of BPPV in a patient.
To perform the test, your healthcare provider will move your head 45 degrees to one side. They will then have you lie on your back quickly with your head off the sides of the table. You will maintain this position for at least 30 seconds.
Your doctor will then check your eyes to look for signs of nystagmus & ask if you feel dizzy.
If you don’t feel dizzy, they will have you repeat the movements on the other side.
This test can lead to symptoms of vertigo in people that suffer from it. If you develop vertigo signs during the test, your doctor can easily confirm a BPPV diagnosis.
They will then work with you individually to develop a proper vertigo treatment plan for your specific case.
These can include vertigo exercises, vertigo medications, some home remedies, & dietary modifications.
Since BPPV is caused by an inner ear issue, resolving any infections that are the cause of BPPV is also an effective vertigo treatment.
In some cases, surgery might be necessary if the patient’s condition doesn’t improve with traditional treatment methods.
The Head Impulse Test:
The Head Impulse Test checks your Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex(VOR). It is basically a test to check how well your eyes & inner ear are functioning in cooperation.
Your doctor might recommend this vertigo test if they suspect you of having Vestibular Neuritis.
In this test, your doctor will quickly move your head and check for signs of nystagmus and unusual reflex functions.
The presence of unusual reflexes and nystagmus indicates vertigo in a patient.
There is also a video version of this test, called the Video Head Impulse Test. It helps look for nystagmus in a patient with the help of tiny cameras placed on both sides of the head.
The ENG test(Electronystagmography):
The ENG test is a well known vertigo test that checks for nystagmus and dizziness in a suspected vertigo patient.
ENG test checks for vertigo signs in a patient by looking at the movement of their eyes while their head is being moved in different directions.
Electrodes attached to either side of the head help track this eye movement.
To elicit eye movements & VOR, your doctor will also pass warm & cold air/water through your ear canal. This part of the test is also known as caloric testing.
Depending on how much the results vary from normal movement metrics, your doctor can make a positive or negative vertigo diagnosis.
The VNG test is a video version of the ENG test that uses cameras in place of electrodes.
Tiny cameras are placed on both sides of the head to keep track of the patient’s eye movements in response to the caloric stimulation inside the ear canal.
The cameras record eye movements and convey the results via a computer installed with the test instrumentation.
Similar to ENG, your doctor can look at the test results & determine if you indeed have vertigo or not.
The Dynamic Visual Acuity Test:
The Dynamic Visual Acuity Test(DVA) is used to look for early signs of vertigo & vestibulotoxicity. It is also helpful in the detection of bilateral peripheral vestibulopathy.
The test assesses the functioning of the VOR, more specifically, how it manages to concentrate any visual information on the fovea of the retina during head movements.
A patient with a VOR that’s not functioning properly will exhibit vision problems like blurred vision and oscilloscopia.
They might also experience vertigo-like symptoms and signs.
