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Audiovestibular Medicine guides
23 plain-English, evidence-linked guides in Audiovestibular Medicine, with clinical review status shown on each page.
Acoustic reflex testing (Acoustic (stapedial) reflex testing)A quick, usually not painful test that measures a tiny automatic muscle reflex in the middle ear in response to loud sound, adding information about the middle ear, the hearing nerve and the hearing pathway.Age-related hearing loss assessment (Assessment of age-related hearing loss (presbycusis))A hearing check to find out whether gradual hearing loss is age-related, how severe it is, and what support might help.Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test (auditory brainstem response testing)A usually not painful test that records the electrical signals travelling from the ear along the hearing nerve to the brainstem, used to check hearing thresholds and the hearing pathway.Auditory processing disorder (APD) assessment (auditory processing disorder assessment)A set of listening tests, used alongside other assessments, for people who struggle to make sense of sounds despite normal hearing on a standard test, especially in background noise.Caloric testing (Bithermal caloric test (caloric irrigation, part of videonystagmography/VNG))A balance test that gently warms and cools each ear in turn to check how well each inner ear's balance organ is working.Children's hearing and balance assessment (Paediatric hearing and balance assessment)Age-appropriate tests to check a child's hearing and, where needed, balance, and to plan any support they may need.Dix-Hallpike test for BPPV (Dix-Hallpike manoeuvre (positional test for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo))A simple positioning test where the clinician moves your head and lies you back quickly to see if it triggers the brief spinning of BPPV.Epley manoeuvre (BPPV repositioning treatment) (Epley manoeuvre (canalith repositioning procedure for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo))A drug-free treatment for BPPV where the clinician guides your head through a set sequence of positions to move loose inner-ear crystals back to where they belong.Hearing aid assessment and fittingAn assessment to decide whether hearing aids would help, followed by choosing, fitting and adjusting them to your hearing.Hearing and balance assessment (Audiovestibular assessment)A specialist set of usually not painful tests, led by an audiovestibular doctor or audiologist, that measure how well you hear and how well your inner-ear balance organs are working, to find the cause of hearing loss, tinnitus, dizziness or unsteadiness.Hyperacusis (sound sensitivity) assessment (hyperacusis and decreased sound tolerance assessment)An assessment for people who find everyday sounds uncomfortably or painfully loud, to understand the type of sound sensitivity, look for any cause, and plan management that gently rebuilds tolerance.Microsuction ear wax removalA water-free way to remove ear wax using a microscope and gentle suction, often used when other methods are unsuitable.Ménière's disease management (Management of Ménière's disease)Ongoing care to reduce how often Ménière's attacks happen, ease symptoms during attacks, and support hearing and balance over time.Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test (otoacoustic emissions testing)A quick, usually not painful hearing test that measures the faint 'echo' produced by a healthy inner ear in response to sound, used to check how well the cochlea is working.Speech audiometryA usually not painful hearing test that measures how well you can hear and understand spoken words, not just detect sounds, to add to the picture from a standard hearing test.Speech-in-noise testingA usually not painful hearing test that measures how well you understand speech when there is background noise, which can explain difficulty following conversations in busy places even when a standard hearing test looks normal.Sudden hearing loss assessment (Assessment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL))An urgent check to find the cause of a sudden drop in hearing and decide whether early treatment, such as steroids, might help.Tinnitus assessment and managementAn assessment and ongoing care for people who hear ringing, buzzing or other sounds that have no outside source, aimed at understanding the cause and reducing the impact on daily life.TympanometryA quick, usually not painful test that checks how well your eardrum and middle ear are working by gently changing the air pressure in your ear canal, helping to find problems such as fluid behind the eardrum.Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) (Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cervical VEMP and ocular VEMP))A balance test that plays sounds into your ears and measures tiny muscle responses to check parts of the inner ear that other balance tests cannot reach.Vestibular function testing (vestibular function testing (balance testing))A group of usually not painful tests that check how well the balance organs in the inner ears and the related eye and muscle reflexes are working, used to investigate dizziness, vertigo and unsteadiness.Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (Vestibular rehabilitation (balance retraining therapy))A tailored, drug-free exercise programme that gradually retrains your balance system and brain to reduce dizziness and unsteadiness.Video head impulse test (vHIT)A quick balance test that uses lightweight goggles to check how well your eyes keep a target in focus when your head is turned quickly.
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