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POSTUROGRAPHY (CDP): The patient stands on a platform that measures how well he/she can maintain their balance. The platform moves back and forth slightly at times during the test. The audiologist will explain what will
Figure 6 - Posturography happen before each set of movements. The patient wears a safety harness to protect him/her from falling. A Wikipedia article describes posturography as does a website by NeuroCom Corporation, one of the manufacturers of CDP equipment. ROTARY CHAIR: Surface electrodes are placed on the patient’s skin around the eyes so that eye movements may be recorded. These movements are driven by the patient’s balance organs whenever the head is moving. The
patient will be sitting in the dark for a short period of time, talking to the audiologist, while the chair slowly swivels from side to side. An Emedicine article by Amin et al describes rotary chair testing in some detail. ELECTRONYSTAGMOGRAPHY (ENG): The patient will be sitting with either video goggles over their face or with surface electrodes placed around your eyes. The patient will be asked to follow moving lights while eye movements are recorded. Next, the patient will be asked to move into a few different body positions while on an exam table.
During the last part of the test, a mild stream or warm and cool air or water is delivered to the ear canal for a brief time while the patient is lying down. This doe s not cause discomfort, but it is normal to feel a sense of movement for a minute or two with this stimulation. An Emedicine article by Shoup et al describes electronystagmography in some detail. Other tests could include:
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