Ménière's DiseaseExams and TestsYour health professional can usually diagnose
Ménière's disease by taking your
medical history and doing a
physical exam. If the cause of your
vertigo is unclear, your health professional may want
to do more tests to determine whether your symptoms are caused by problems in
the inner ear or in the brain. Brain-related causes of vertigo (such as
stroke, head injury,
brain tumors, or
multiple sclerosis) are less common. Additional tests that may be done to rule out other causes of your
symptoms and to confirm a diagnosis of Ménière's disease include: - Electronystagmography, which uses
electrodes to measure eye movements. It looks for characteristic eye movements
that occur when the inner ear is stimulated. The pattern of eye movements can
indicate the location of the cause of the vertigo, such as the inner ear or the
central nervous system.
- Imaging tests, such as
magnetic resonance imaging of the head (MRI) or
computed tomography of the head (CT scan), which may
be done if symptoms could be caused by a brain problem.
- Hearing tests, to detect hearing loss. A specific type
of hearing test, called a brain stem auditory evoked response (BAER) study, may
be done to determine whether the nerve from the inner ear to the brain is
working correctly. Hearing loss supports a diagnosis of Ménière's
disease.
| |