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Chronic dizziness. Poor balance. Hearing difficulty. Lightheadedness.
These are common symptoms of hearing and balance disorders. Hearing loss affects an estimated 20 million Americans and ranges from minor nuisance to a profound disability. Vestibular disorders, which encompass dizziness and balance problems, occur to a significant degree in about 25 million Americans. These distressing symptoms may also be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and a ringing or fullness sensation in the ears. Whether the condition is a result of a traumatic accident or a brain disease, most of these patients may experience a serious decrease in the quality of their lives.
A Multidisciplinary Team:
Diagnosis and Treatment Under One Roof
The West Penn Allegheny Health System Allegheny General Hearing and Balance Center is committed to providing patients with an academically based, cost-effective, thorough level of care. And because we are an academic health center, patients have access to a broad array of specialty medical and surgical services, as well as physicians who are skilled and experienced in their respective fields. The Center also provides comprehensive evaluation of patients with dizziness, loss of equilibrium and other balance or vestibular disorders.
Modern technological advancements at the Center include a broad array of diagnostic testing equipment. Among the many tests offered are audiograms for determining basic hearing ability and word recognition, middle ear analysis for evaluating the mechanical functioning of the eardrum and bones of the middle ear, and special tests to identify abnormalities in the hearing pathway. These tests are most helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of neural hearing loss, eardrum or middle ear bone problems, acoustic tumors, multiple sclerosis, central auditory processing abnormalities and Meniere's disease, which is a relatively common, disabling inner ear disorder characterized by severe attacks of dizziness, ringing in the ears and hearing loss.
The Center unites the efforts of several specialists to recognize the growing number of people suffering from these disorders. A special team of practitioners in the fields of otology, audiology, neurology, physical therapy, head and neck surgery, internal medicine, neurosurgery, neuroradiology and psychology comprise the centers treatment team.
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Diagnostic Center
Modern technological advancements at the Hearing and Balance Center include a broad array of diagnostic testing equipment. Among the many tests offered audiograms for determining basic hearing ability and word recognition, middle ear analysis for evaluating the mechanical functioning of the eardrum and bones of the middle ear, and special tests to identify abnormalities in the hearing pathway. These tests are most helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of neural hearing loss, eardrum or middle ear bone problems, acoustic tumors, multiple sclerosis, central auditory processing abnormalities and Meniere's disease, which is a relatively common, disabling inner ear disorder characterized by severe attacks of dizziness, ringing in the ears and hearing loss. The center also provides comprehensive evaluation of patients with dizziness, loss of equilibrium and other balance or vestibular disorders. Listed below are the tests conducted at the center. - Ocular motor screening and position testing Hearing and Balance Center staff members use visual stimuli and computer analysis to evaluate the patient's eye movement and control system. Responses indicate imbalances that may point to balance problems. Caloric Testing The patient's inner ear is stimulated with warm water and cold water while recording his eye movements. Rotational Testing The patient sits in a rotating chair while his eye movements are recorded by a computer. Because rotation naturally stimulates the inner ear, the results help to determine how the central nervous system processes information. Posturography TestingThe patient stands on a computer-controlled moving platform to evaluate the effects on his sight, body movement and balance. Vestibular Autorotation Test (VAT) The patient wears a lightweight apparatus on his head, which is connected to a physician's computer. The patient focuses on a target and moves his head from side to side, comparing eye movements to head motion. In 18 seconds, the physician has enough information about the patient's balance reflex system to make a thorough diagnosis of his condition. The VAT also is portable and can be taken to the patient for convenient, cost effective screening.
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Treatment Methods
Comprehensive management ranges from diagnostic testing and physical therapy program to microsurgery, depending on the severity of the condition. For many patients with balance disorders, physical therapy program may improve mobility and quality of life. Patients may undergo an assessment of posture, balance and eye movements and receive a written home exercise program specifically designed to address their symptoms. In many cases, a combination of medications, activity programs, surgery, and coordination between our specialists and the patient's primary care physician may provide the quickest possible recovery. For some patients, dizziness may be cured with a simple office positioning procedure. If the patient's hearing and or balance disorder requires surgery, Otologists from the center perform the latest microsurgical techniques. These include: - Tympanoplasty (eardrum replacement and repair of the hearing bones) - Cochlear implantation, which is the implantation of an electronic device under the skin to restore hearing to a patient suffering from severe and profound hearing loss. - Tumor surgery of the ear and skull base. - Microlaser stapedectomy, in which a laser is used to restore normal vibration to the hearing bones. - Surgical treatment for dizziness, including insertion of a shunt in the ear to drain fluids and surgery on the balance nerve itself.
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