anybody know exactly why this is done? and what i should expect? little freaked im gonna feel sick during this. i read something about this test looking at if you have a nystagmus. and i was wondering what does this have to do with inner ear problems? anybody know?

thanks
scott

I can't answer all of you questions, but I had an ENG performed on me before. They basically put tubes in your ears and pump warm and cool water into your ear (one at a time) and study your eyemovements while this is being done. I guess they study your eyemovements to determine which ear may be causing the troubles that you are having. If you are having dizziness, it may induce it, but this is necessary to find out which ear is the problem ear.

Hopefully this helps you out a little, sorry I can't be more help!

Good luck!

yeah, had the eng, wow that was horrible.

i was fine up until they pumped the hot air in my ears, and my right ear went nuts.. i got sooooooo dizzy, anxiety, unbelievable.. left ear was dizzy too but not as bad as right.. so who knos. cold air wasn't as bad as hot though.

so much fine.. now i feel a bit nauseated.

scott

ENG - electronystamography Electo as they use electrodes. Nystagm(us) as is relates to eye movement. graphy as they measure it. When your eye moves there is a difference between the voltage at the front and back of your eye (the corneoretinal potential) this is used as a direct measure of the amplitude of eye movement. ENG is basically looking at eye movement with relation to vestibular and visual stimuli. On my audiology course we learn about monaural and bitemporal electrode placement - which are basically where the electrodes are placed.
Tests that can be done under ENG include:
ocular motor testing:
saccade tests - moving from point to point
gaze tests - staring at point
opto nystagmus - cant explain without relating to Vestibulo ocular reflex (dont have time)
smooth pursuit tests - following moving object
positional testing - looking at eye movement in certain body positions
caloric irrigation - ok this is what makes most suseptible patients feel nauseus/sick/dizzy BUT also alot dont feel anything.
they put different temp water in your ear as is creates a convection current of endolymph in your semi circular canal making you feel as if you experiencing angular acceleration as it stimulates the ampulla at the base of your semi circ canals.

and you asked why nystagmus is looked at for ear disorder. the reason for this is basically your semi circular canals provide input and stimulation the eye musculature (lateral/medial/superior/inferior rectus - superior/inferior oblique) (i suggest reading up on the vestibular ocular reflex - or someone on this board will explain). if there is any faulty section basically there is a reduction in afferent firing pulses from the affected side so the brain compensates by making saccades beat away from the affected side ... hence the nystagmus. if they find a problem with nystagmus they know not to look somewhere else and if there is no problem they then know and have a greater understanding of where the problem may be coming from.

hope this helps - please double check any information i give you, im only a first year and bound to make mistakes ;)

so if i got more dizzy when they pumped warm air into my left ear than my right, what could that mean?

scott

depends on the eye movements - im sure your audiological physician will take you through the results -

hope the eng brings you some more answers

Hi There
I remember my ENG. When they pumped the water in my left ear I was crazy dizzy, thought that was bad..THen the right ear and I didn't get nearly as dizzy and thought that was good...Turns out that getting dizzy means your vestibular system is working well. My right side has a 37% deficit.
Although the technician who performed my tests couldnt' give me any results, she did explain that there was a deficiency in my right side.
When do you expect to get the results?
FC

i see the doctor next monday. so not for another week. it will be interesting to see what they say though. i had both the ENG and that other test, where u stand on the platform and look at the wall thing, and the ground moves and such. what does that one tell you?

scott

known as posturography - just more clues on balance system

ok now some people say that alot of people don't feel dizzy at all during the hot and cold water and some are saying that if you don't feel anything than thats where your problem is. this being confusing cause they kind of contradict eachother. if its normal for alot of people not to feel anything than how is it a sign that you have problems if you don't feel anything. when i had mine done i didn't feel dizzy or atleast notice anything really bad in both ears. now does that mean that both ears are bad or that im just one of the people that it doesn't really respond too?

Well.

It seems that our caloric tests without an official Dx provides us with much more questions than anwers.

My test, briefly: I was dizzy with both ears, midly in my Right ear, and a true spinning circus in my left...

My bet: The right one is the one in trouble(Hope I'm wrong and both ears were just nervous during the test... ;)

But, until a definitive DX, it's just a wild guess...

I'll have mine on Friday, so I expect to post this, and whatever useful information I can get from my doctor by Friday's night, for anyone who might be needing this, at least as a reference.

Hope we all get out of this soon, cheers to everyone.