This page is designed for parents/carers of children and young people who are scheduled to attend the paediatric audiology department for balance testing. It outlines the various tests that may be conducted during the appointment.
The Paediatric Audiology Department at the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospital provides a comprehensive range of balance assessments to determine how well the balance organs (in the ears) are functioning.
There are various reasons children can feel dizzy or have poor balance. Your child will initially be seen by a paediatric AVM consultant, who will conduct an appropriate history and carry out a bed side evaluation. Following this, the audiologist will perform a series of age-appropriate tests on your child, we aim to make the tests as relaxed as possible.
Following testing, the paediatric AVM consultant will discuss the test results, and an individual management plan will be formulated.
Please note it may not be necessary to conduct every listed assessment. We will determine which tests are most appropriate for your child during their appointment.
The test assesses the function of the vestibular system, particularly the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) in each of the semicircular canals of the inner ear, this reflex stabilises the gaze when your child moves their head.
Your child will be asked to sit in a chair and wear specialised video goggles. The audiologist will place their hands on your child’s head and move their head in short, small movements in various directions.
During the test, they will be asked to keep their eyes on a fixed point on the wall. The camera in the goggles will record very small eye movements, which would otherwise not be visible.
These are a series of tests that diagnose vestibular disorders by assessing eye movements. The test provides information about the function of the balance system, including the balance organ (inner ears) and nerve pathways to the brain.
Your child will wear specialised video goggles while sitting in the dark on a rotational chair. For the first part of the test, they will be asked to follow a series of visual targets.
During the second part of the test, the motorised chair they are sitting on will slowly rotate side-to-side and round in a circle for around 5 minutes.
VEMP testing assesses how certain muscles respond when sounds stimulate a specific part of the balance system.
The audiologist will clean your child’s skin with a wipe and scrub; four small sticky pads (electrodes) will be attached to their forehead and neck/below the eyes.
Headphones will then be placed over the ears, and they will hear loud clicking sounds for approximately 20 seconds per measurement. Your child does not need to respond to these sounds; they will be asked to remain still and to relax, either with their head turned to one side or looking upwards with their eyes.
The computer automatically records the responses.