Types of Vestibular Testing

Vesticular testing is used to diagnose problems of the inner ear, the portion of the ear responsible for balance. A number of vestibular tests are used to determine whether certain symptoms, such as dizziness, signal an inner-ear disorder.

Electronystagmography

• During an electronystagmography, electrodes are placed around a patient's eyes to measure eye movement. According to the Mayo Clinic, this test can show if the inner ear is functioning correctly because the structure is responsible for sending out signals that control eye movement.

Electrocochleography

• An electrocochleography is a test in which an electrode is placed over a person's ear canal to measure the electronic activity of the cochlea, according to the Washington Hospital Center. The cochlea is the portion of the inner ear that is responsible for the transmission of and responses to pressure.

Rotational Chair Test

• The rotational chair test moves patients around in a motorized chair to measure dizziness. According to Dr. Timothy C. Hain, a neurologist who specializes in dizziness disorders, in an article titled "Vestibular Testing," people with inner-ear diseases are less likely to get dizzy during the test.

Posturography

• The Mayo Clinic states that during a posturography test, patients stand on a platform and try to maintain their balance. The test is used to show whether the inner ear is responsible for patients' balance problems.

Fistula Test

• During a fistula test, a doctor uses an instrument called an otoscope to apply pressure to the ear and measure the ear's responses to different pressures. The fistula test can show if a patient has a perilymph fistula, a condition characterized by an abnormal connection between the middle and inner ears, according to an article by Hain titled "Perilymph Fistula."