Using Electronystagmography For Balance Disorder

By Author: Alok Gupta
Total Articles: 6
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A balance disorder is a condition that makes you feel unsteady or dizzy. If you are standing, sitting, or lying down, you might feel as if you are moving, spinning, or floating. If you are walking, you might suddenly feel as if you are tipping over. Balance disorders can be caused by certain health conditions, medications, or a problem in the inner ear or the brain. It can profoundly impact daily activities and cause psychological and emotional hardship.

The Electronystagmography Testis the standard for determining if a vestibular (inner ear) or central (brain) problem is causing a balance or dizziness problem. It is a series of tests that demonstrate how a person's eyes respond to information from the vestibular portion of the inner ear system.The earlier vestibular assessment consisted entirely of electronystagmography (ENG) and it serves the purpose for unilateral peripheral vestibular system impairment.Electronystagmography is a series of tests that demonstrate how a person's eyes respond to information from the vestibular portion of the inner ear system to determine the causes of a patient's dizziness or balance ...
... disorders.

It is a complete diagnostic system for recording, analyzing and reporting involuntary eye movements, called nystagmus, using electrodes feeding information into a computer.This is a test commonly administered to dizzy patients and is used to evaluate your inner ear balance system and to determine whether or not dizziness may be due to inner ear disease.If you are experiencing problems with your balance or you are feeling dizzy, this test will help determine if a vestibular (inner ear) disease is behind the cause of your problem. Electronystagmography provides a permanent recording of a nystagmus and it can detect nystagmus which is not readily visible on examination otherwise.

It helps to differentiate between the peripheral or central origin of vertigo and to support diagnosis and to calculate canal paresis. There are three parts to ENG Testing. Ocular and optokinetic tests can indicate a central or neurological problem, or a problem in the pathway connecting the vestibular system to the brain. Positional nystagmus test looks at positional changes and their effect on your vestibular system. Caloric testing test assesses your vestibular system for each ear and reveals whether they are working and responding to stimulation.

Testing is conducted with warm and cool water or air.If dizziness is not caused by the vestibular portion of the inner ear, it might be caused by the brain, by medical disorders such as low blood pressure, or by psychological problems such as anxiety. Vestibular tests determine if there is something wrong with the balance (vestibular) portion of the inner ear.