Audiology

Saint Alphonsus is proud to offer audiology services that focus on hearing, balance, and related disorders – to diagnose, manage, and help prevent hearing loss and disorders of the balance systems.

Audiology Conditions Treated:

• Dizziness and balance
• Hearing loss
• Hearing screening
• Diagnostic hearing evaluations
• Noise and hearing loss prevention
• Tinnitus

Melanie Vanderpol, AuD, received her Doctor of Audiology degree from the University of Florida. She sees patients 5 years of age and older who have failed hearing screenings, report hearing loss or dizziness, or who have fall risk.

"My role as an audiologist is to perform diagnostic tests to help determine if the central or peripheral system is involved in the dizziness or balance problem and then collaborate with an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist and/or the patients’ primary care physician as well as a vestibular physical therapist leading to a diagnosis and treatment.”

Video Head Impulse Testing (vHIT)

Melanie is proud to offer Video Head Impulse Testing (vHIT). vHIT uses a lightweight, high-speed video goggle that quickly and objectively measures the vestibular ocular reflex (VOR) in response to a patient’s head movements. The VOR is often reduced in cases of peripheral vestibular disorders leading to symptoms of dizziness and imbalance.

When appropriate, this test can replace the traditional Videonystagmography (VNG) test leading to greater comfort and a quicker assessment time for her patients.