Meniere’s Disease

Otolaryngologists (ENTs) diagnose Ménière’s disease. During your visit, your provider will perform a physical exam and neurological exam and ask about your symptoms. They may ask if you have regular episodes of vertigo and hearing loss. If you do, they’ll ask about how severe they are and how long they last.

They may do tests to rule out other potential conditions to confirm you have Ménière’s disease, including:

• Hearing test: The test will show if you’ve experienced hearing loss. During this test, a hearing specialist called an audiologist plays sounds through headphones. You’ll press a button when you hear a sound.
• Vestibular test battery: Audiologists perform a series of tests to check the reflex of your inner ear (vestibular) balance system and eye muscles. Although your balance mostly returns to normal when you’re not experiencing a vertigo attack, there may be leftover effects the tests can detect.
• Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast: This imaging test helps to rule out potential brain tumors or other issues that may cause dizziness or hearing loss.