System for diagnosing vestibular otolith function using focused ultrasound and infrared pulses.

The vestibular system is vital part of a person’s ability to balance. Almost 69 million Americans have experienced vestibular dysfunction. An additional 8 million American adults report a chronic problem with balance, while 2.5 million report a chronic problem with dizziness. Diagnosing vestibular dysfunction requires a series of expensive and invasive tests, such as vestibular evoked myogenic testing. These tests are often inaccurate and can cause patient discomfort.

The ultrasound driven vestibular-evoked myogenic diagnostic test uses focused ultrasound and infrared pulses to stimulate vestibular organs. These thermal pulses activate vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials in the neck and ocular muscles. The myogenic potentials are averaged over time to generate a waveform that represents vestibular organ function. The magnitude and latency of the stimulus-response is then used to diagnosis vestibular otolith function.

Concept

• Improves specificity and accuracy of vestibular dysfunction testing.
• Facilitates stimulation of individual vestibular organs.
• Reduces patient discomfort by eliminating cochlea exposure to loud sounds.

Iversen, M.M., Christensen, D.A., Parker, D.L., Holman, H.A., Chen, J., Frerck, M.J., Rabbitt, R.D. (2017). Low-intensity ultrasound activates vestibular otolith organs through acoustic radiation force. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 141:4209. doi: 10.1121/1.4984287

Huy Tran
(801) 581-7792
huy.tran@utah.edu