By Jeni Baker

If you sometimes don't know which way is up, you’re not alone. More than seven million times a year, Americans seek medical attention for dizziness.

Thirty percent of people will experience at least one bout of vertigo by age 65. Whether acute or chronic, these conditions are both common and debilitating.

The Duke Vestibular Disorders Clinic, a clinical component of the new Duke Hearing Center, is here to help.

Led by neurotologist David M. Kaylie, MD, the program evaluates and treats children and adults suffering from dizziness, vertigo, poor balance, and other inner-ear conditions, both suspected and confirmed. These conditions include:

• Meniere’s disease
• Acoustic neuroma
• Autoimmune inner ear disease
• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
• Labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis
• Mal de debarquement
• Perilymph fistula
• Superior canal dehiscence
• Migraine-associated vertigo

“People with these conditions often suffer for years -- and see many doctors -- before they get some resolution,” Kaylie says. “We specialize in diagnosing the underlying causes of their symptoms and offering patient-tailored treatments.”

The state-of-the-art facility offers a full array of testing and diagnostic services, and employs three sophisticated techniques to evaluate the physiological and functional status of patients’ vestibular systems: electronystagmography (ENG/caloric testing), rotary chair testing, and vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP). The service also offers rehabilitative care to patients likely to benefit from it.

For more information, call 919-684-6968.