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approach, with testing, evaluation and treatment. Tests include VNG, which records patient eye movements with infrared cameras in light and dark settings to assess different aspects of the vestibular system to help locate the problem. Patients may also be referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist for hearing evaluations.
“ Treatment at our office involves customized retraining of deficits in the visual, vestibular and proprioceptive systems based on the specific condition of the patient,” says Dr. DeCriscio. The treatment, called vestibular rehabilitation, involves specific eye and body movements in repetition to help desensitize the problem and restore normal function.“ The hard part is figuring out the problem. Part of why our center has a high success rate is a combination of our specific evaluations and testing to locate the problem along with the referring physician ruling out alternative possibilities such as cardiovascular, diabetes, thyroid disorders, etc.,” he says.“ Once the patient has reached their goals with vestibular rehabilitation, we add a maintenance exercise program that the patient is encouraged to continue on their own to avoid a relapse.” Though some doctors use antivert to alleviate dizziness, the Center for Dizziness and Balance Disorders does not use medications to treat vestibular disorders.“ If [ antivert alone ] worked that well, I would not have opened a practice to treat vertigo,” Dr. DeCriscio notes.
Maxine Dingell, 73, was struck with vertigo in the middle of the night and has had two episodes of the illness.“ I was so dizzy that I was sick to my stomach,” she says, and she alternated periods of dizziness and vomiting for about two days. On the second occasion, about a month later, she was also dizzy, but with no accompanying nausea, but she could not walk straight, had hot flashes, and her blood sugar shot up. She finally went to see a doctor who sent her for a CAT scan and an MRI. In her case the antivert did stop the dizziness and so far she has not had a recurrence. But now, as many people who have experienced the effects of vertigo note,“ I get up very carefully.” §
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Hagerstown: The Best of Life in Washington County & Beyond March / April 2013 101