Current Diagnostic Techniques in Vestibular Disorders

Abstract

Vestibular disorders provoke complaints in patients, affecting daily life sometimes seriously. A systematic approach to elicit a patient's medical history ensures a broad assessment of each individual since vertigo can be caused by a lesion in any part of the vestibular or nervous system. Vestibular test programmes date as far back as 1850. Both vestibulo-spinal and vestibulo-ocular tests have been developed since then. The most recent ones provide the investigator with extremely sophisticated information. Electronystagmography offers the opportunity of gaining insight into the visual pursuit system, which adds considerable value to the whole test battery. Current diagnostics of the vestibular system partly deals with neurophthalmology as far as all aspects of ocular motility are concerned.

Key Words:

• vertigo
• electronystagmography
• vestibular tests