Vertigo occurs when the patient falsely feels that the objects around him are in motion or that he himself is rotating around them. Other versions of vertigo include the sensation of falling or floating in different directions. This condition can be either peripheral or central. Peripheral vertigo occurs when there are diseases involving the labyrinth of the ear. Vertigo tests, and especially labyrinth examinations, make it possible to diagnose the condition so that an appropriate treatment plan can be formulated.

Causes & symptoms of vertigo

In the majority of cases of vertigo, the etiology concerns an ear condition. If there is damage to one or both of the labyrinths or the vestibular pathway, a pathway that includes the vestibular nerve and is responsible for transmitting stimuli from the ears to the brain, then the patient is experiencing vertigo. The labyrinth is located inside both ears and controls balance through information it provides to the balance center of the brain. Any disturbance in one of the two labyrinths or the vestibular pathway contributes in the majority of cases to a wrong perception of stimuli and sending them to the brain, causing vertigo.

The most common conditions associated with damage to the specific structure are vestibular neuritis, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Meniere’s disease, and vestibular-related migraine. Other causes of vertigo include labyrinthitis or a tumor, previous ear surgery, or injuries that caused a brain injury. In several cases the symptoms accompanying vertigo are quite intense, such as vomiting, nausea, hearing loss, tinnitus and unsteadiness. The duration of symptoms varies from a few minutes to several days.

Diagnosis with vertigo tests

To diagnose the condition, it is important to carry out targeted vertigo tests so that the patient receives the appropriate treatment. Initially, it is very important for the doctor to obtain a detailed and careful patient’s medical history, while a clinical examination with an otoscope and a complete audiological evaluation is carried out. The appropriate diagnostic test to detect a problem or dysfunction in the labyrinths is the electronystagmogram or video-electronystagmogram, which is performed using air or water. This particular examination investigates the movements of the eyes in order to establish the degree of response of the organ of balance.

Vertigo tests process

During the examination, the patient lies down and closes his eyes, in which special electrodes are then placed in various places or he wears glasses with a specifically designed camera. ENT Surgeon in Athens Dr. Olga Papadopoulou then successively injects hot and cold water into the external auditory canal of both ears, stimulating the auditory labyrinths and the vestibular nerve. The purpose of these tests is to detect abnormal eye movement. These tests help determine whether vertigo is due to inner ear disease by measuring involuntary eye movements while the head is positioned in different positions while the balance organs are stimulated with water or air.

If there is any dysfunction in one or both labyrinths, then there is a decreased or increased response to the water or air stimulus. Targeted vertigo examinations and maze tests facilitate the diagnosis of a condition located in the specific structure or the determination of the appropriate treatment plan for a patient with vertigo.