Obligatory medical device diagnostics.
- Tone threshold audiogram (representation of subjective hearing for different tones) with tympanometry (middle ear pressure measurement) and a caloric test (irrigation of the external auditory canal with cold and warm water to examine peripheral excitability of the vestibular organ) – to check inner ear function, etc.
- Recruitment measurement – representation of objective hearing for different sounds.
Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the medical history, physical examination and mandatory laboratory parameters – for differential diagnostic clarification.
- Electronystagmography (ENG) – in this procedure, an attempt is made to induce nystagmus (involuntary but rapid rhythmic eye movements) with the help of water/air, which is placed in the auditory canal; this is then also compared to both sides
- Locally enhanced inner ear MRI (LEIM); after local contrast agent application into the middle ear) to visualize the cochlea (cochlea) and the vestibule (atrium in the ear) – possibility of visualizing the endolymph hydrops (endolymphatic hydrops / increased appearance of fluid) to confirm the diagnosis of Meniere’s disease or to differentiate differential diagnoses.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the skull (cranial MRI, cranial MRI or cMRI) – on suspicion of acoustic neuroma (benign tumor of the auditory and vestibular nerves), brain tumors, perilymph fistula (connection between the inner ear and middle ear or mastoid / mastoid process with leakage of perilymph) and the like.
- Computed tomography of the skull (cranial CT, cranial CT or cCT) – on suspicion of cholesteatoma (pearl tumor), brain tumors, skull fractures (skull fractures) and the like.
- Computed tomography of the cervical spine (cervical spine CT) – if suspected cervical spine structural disorders.
- Brainstem audiometry (synonym: brainstem evoked response audiometry, BERA); electrophysiological assessment of the objective hearing ability – with clear measurement results can thus largely exclude an acoustic neuroma.
