Dizziness Depot

Nov. 11, 2014

Connecting the Dots: Part II

Alan Desmond
In an attempt to answer some of the questions posed last week about the dramatic decrease in the number of vestibular tests performed, let’s review several recent articles related to management of patients who complain of dizziness. Click on the highlighted links for additional information. This information pertains only to patients presenting to the Emergency Room. They represent only a
Nov. 04, 2014

Connecting the Dots: Part I

Alan Desmond
Over the past few years on this blog I have discussed on several occasions the reductions in reimbursement for vestibular testing. I have also made the statement that clinical practice is often driven by reimbursement, and that changes in reimbursement eventually affect the way people practice. While this is a frightening yet logical conclusion, it is a difficult statement to
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Oct. 29, 2014

What is vHIT? Part II

Alan Desmond
vHIT equipment is now available from all the leading manufacturers of vestibular testing equipment, and courses are being offered around the country by equipment sales representatives. There is currently no approved billing code for vHIT testing, but that does not diminish the test’s utility. As described last week, the vHIT apparatus records head movement and eye movement simultaneously, which allows
Oct. 21, 2014

What is vHIT? Part I

Alan Desmond
vHIT refers to relatively new technology to assess the high-frequency Vestibular Ocular Reflex (VOR). vHIT stands for video head impulse test, and theoretically allows the examiner to find VOR deficits that would not be visible under standard examination techniques. This may allow less experienced examiners to detect obvious deficits, and allow more experienced examiners to detect milder deficits. The basis
Oct. 14, 2014

The Three Types of “Dizziness”

Alan Desmond
Dizziness is a vague term that is used to describe a variety of sensations, including vertigo (a sensation of spinning), lightheadedness (a pre-faint feeling), disequilibrium (instability standing or walking), Oscillopsia (visual blurring with head movement) or disorientation (something just ain’t right). I did a whole series on this a couple of years ago. I have found that there are three
Oct. 07, 2014

ABR in Vestibular Assessment

Alan Desmond
All audiologists and ENT specialists are aware that asymmetrical hearing loss should be considered as potential auditory nerve pathology until proven otherwise. In fact, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery lists it as a position statement on their website as “Red Flags-Warnings of Ear Disease.” The standard of care for asymmetrical hearing loss is either to perform an
Sep. 23, 2014

Common Risk Factors for Falling

Alan Desmond
1. Vestibular (inner ear) Disorders –Vestibular disorders can cause dizziness, vertigo, or loss of balance with certain movements and in certain environments. 2. The use of multiple prescription medications – When a patient is taking four or more prescription medications, the chance of an adverse reaction increases, and the ability to predict interactions between medications decreases. 3. The use of anti-depressant
Sep. 16, 2014

Multi-Factorial Disequilibrium

Alan Desmond
buy singulair online https://rology.health/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/singulair.html no prescription pharmacy Poor balance and instability in the elderly has been described as a “geriatric syndrome” because the specific cause of these complaints is often not obvious on initial examination. This is primarily because poor balance in the elderly is most often multi-factorial, with no single clinical abnormality responsible. The balance system is complex, with
Sep. 10, 2014

Common Causes of Dizziness

Alan Desmond
I Respectfully Disagree with the Abstract (but I agree and am impressed by the article) A recent article titled Causes of Persistent Dizziness in Elderly Patients in Primary Care (Maarsingh et al. 2010) is a welcome addition to the literature. Dizziness and vertigo are bothersome and common complaints, particularly in the elderly population. There has been much written and discussed
Sep. 02, 2014

BPPV Home Treatment

Alan Desmond
Which treatment is most effective? Last week, I finished my blog post online pharmacy lasix with best prices today in the USA with a question regarding the relative effectiveness of different home exercises for BPPV. This question has been pondered by others for several years. As early as 1999 (roughly eight years before the iPhone was introduced and while Bill