Exams and Tests
Your doctor can usually diagnose
by taking your
and doing a
.
If the cause of your
is unclear, your doctor 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
, head injury,
, or
) are less common.
Other 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
point to the location of the cause of the vertigo, such as the inner ear or the
central nervous system.
- , 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 an auditory brain stem response (ABR) test, may
be done to find out whether the nerve from the inner ear to the brain is
working correctly. Hearing loss supports a diagnosis of Ménière's
disease.