Overview
The Vestibular and Balance Laboratory serves two primary goals:
1.) to provide clinical services in the assessment of balance and dizziness and,
2.) to conduct research in vestibular physiology in both health and pathology.
Clinically, the Vestibular Lab sees patients of all ages with complaint of imbalance and/or dizziness. We provide comprehensive
balance and vestibular evaluations as well as vestibular rehabilitation and fall prevention. The primary goal of the research program is to understand the underlying physiology of the vestibular system in health and disease and relate this to improving diagnostic testing and treatment.
Facilities
The Vestibular and Balance Laboratory consists of the following major equipment:
- Two ENG/VNG systems with water caloric irrigators
- ISCAN 3-D Eye Tracking System
- Rotary Chair with Subjective Visual Vertical (SVV) and manual, lateral off-axis rotation capability
- NeuroCom SMART Equitest and InVision with long force plate, allowing the following assessments:
- Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP)
- Postural Evoked Responses (PER)
- Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA)
- Gaze Stabilization Test (GST)
- Cervical and Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (c- and oVEMP) Testing
An additional evaluation room is located at
Boys Town National Research Hospital's Pacific Street Hospital and is equipped with an ENG/VNG system with a water caloric irrigator. Cervical and ocular VEMP testing is also available at the Pacific Street Hospital.
Staff
The laboratory is directed by Kristen Janky, Au.D., Ph.D., with Bethami Grossman, Au.D., Ashley Kaufman, Au.D., Megan Thomas, Au.D., Susan Stangl, Au.D., Rhonda Dick, Au.D., and Katie Soltys, Au.D. assisting with clinical vestibular services. Diane Givens, M.S., PT, NCS provides vestibular rehabilitation services.
Megan Thomas, Au.D., Diane Givens, M.S., PT, NCS, and Amanda Rodriguez, PhD, assist with research activities.
Specific Areas of Research
Improving pediatric vestibular assessment and rehabilitation
Improving VEMP test performance in specific patient populations
Collaboration with the
Vestibular Genetics Lab in understanding the molecular cause of BPPV to improve treatment methods
