Vestibular Testing Modalities Enter the Digital Age

The tests are more helpful if they are viewed in the context of the overall evaluation, Dr. Barin continued. Vestibular tests cannot be useful without complete history, he said. Once the physician understands that, the testing can be a great adjunct to the diagnosis.

Dr. Goebel echoed this emphasis on the exam and the history. If you’re thorough, you can identify the cause in 85% of cases, and testing will identify another 10% to 15%, he said. Among these you can identify the causes by the history in 70% of cases. Listen for expressions of vertigo; BPPV patients will tell you that the world is in motion.

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