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Electronystagmography

• Overview
• Risks
• Results

Alternative Names:

ENG

Normal Values:

Distinct involuntary eye movements should occur after instillation of cold or hot water into the ear canal.

What abnormal results mean:

Abnormal results may be a sign of damage to the nerve of the inner ear or other parts of the brain that control eye movements.

Any disease or injury that damages the acoustic nerve can cause vertigo. This may include:

• Congenital disorders
• Injury
• Rubella
• Blood vessel disorders with hemorrhage (bleeding), clots, or atherosclerosis of the blood supply of the ear
• Cholesteatoma and other ear tumors
• Some poisons
• Medications that are toxic to the ear nerves, including aminoglycoside antibiotics, some antimalarial drugs, loop diuretics, and salicylates
• Multiple sclerosis
• Movement disorders such as progressive supranuclear palsy

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:

• Acoustic neuroma
• Benign positional vertigo
• Labyrinthitis
• Meniere's disease

• Review Date: 4/30/2007
• Reviewed By: Joseph V. Campellone, M.D., Division of Neurology, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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