Dizziness Depot

Videonystagmography This week, I am using an excerpt from my book, Vestibular Function: Clinical and Practice Management (Thieme, 2011) to describe the process involved in Videonystagmography. Infrared Video (as used in VNG) involves the use of a conventional black and white video camera; however, the eyes are illuminated with infrared light. Because the eyes are not reactive to infrared light,

Electronystagmography or Videonystagmography: Which is better? The term electronystagmography (electrical graph of nystagmus) has been used to describe a series of vestibular tests using an eye movement recording technique known as electro-oculography (EOG).* This refers to the recording of the electrical potentials associated with eye movements. The principle behind EOG is the recording of changes in the corneoretinal potential through

Last week we discussed the benefits and advantages of the ENG/VNG exam over other testing techniques. This week, we discuss the limitations associated with this test, which include: (1) The inability to record (except visually) torsional or rotary eye movements common in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): With ENG we were limited to recording in just the X-Y axis, up

Useful, but Limited Videonystagmography (VNG), or Electronystagmography (ENG), is the most common method of vestibular evaluation and is available in many Audiology and ENT offices. A VNG or ENG examination is not a comprehensive vestibular or balance assessment, but is often described as such on clinic websites. The VNG/ENG exam is one component of a comprehensive evaluation, but many vestibular

The Natural Progression of the Hard of Hearing: A Personal Story This week I am taking a departure from my regular topics related to dizziness, vertigo and vestibular function. In addition to being an audiologist, I am also a member of the hearing impaired public. My three years spent working in a very loud campus pub during college cost me

Cpt Code 92544 and CPT Code 92545 This week we wrap up our descriptions of the components of the Videonystagmography examination with the oculomotor tests.* Since the preparation and procedures are so similar, I will cover both optokinetic tracking and smooth pursuit (oscillating) tracking in the same blog, but will delete repetitive sections. CPT Code 92544 – Optokinetic nystagmus test,

CPT Code 92543 -Caloric vestibular test, each irrigation (binaural, bithermal stimulation constitutes 4 tests), with recording Goggles with cameras illuminated by infra-red lighting are placed on the patient. The darkest spot of the eye, the pupil, is tracked by the software, so a tracking threshold must be established. Once tracking is established, a calibration procedure begins in which the patient is

CPT Code 92542 – Positional Nystagmus Test (minimum of four positions, with recording) Last week, I gave an example of a description used to educate physicians and health care professionals regarding several vestibular procedures. Each code is considered individually, so there is some overlap in describing patient preparation. Go to last week’s post if you want to review that portion

Over the next couple of weeks, I will provide descriptions of the components of the Videonystagmography evaluation. These are samples of descriptions used to familiarize physicians and other health care professionals with each procedure. There is some overlap because the placement of video goggles and calibration is the same for the different procedures, so I will condense that portion in

How is a code valued? There are many more detailed explanations for those interested, but I will keep this post short and related to vestibular codes. The first step, as mentioned last week, is to proceed from a category III to a category I code once data is collected regarding usage and effectiveness. The coding language (or description of the