Caloric reflex test

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In medicine, the caloric reflex test is a test of the vestibulo-ocular reflex. It is used by audiologists and other trained professionals to validate a diagnosis of asymmetric function in the peripheral vestibular system. Calorics are usually a subtest of the electronystagmography (ENG) test battery.

Contents 1 Technique and results 2 Mnemonic 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Technique and results

It involves irrigating cold or warm water or air into the external auditory canal.

• If the water is cold (30^oC) the eyes turn toward the ipsilateral ear, with horizontal nystagmus (quick horizontal eye movements) to the contralateral ear.^[1][2]
• If the water is warm (44^oC) the eyes turn toward the contralateral ear, with horizontal nystagmus to the ipsilateral ear.
• Absent reactive eye movement suggests vestibular weakness of the horizontal semicircular canal of the side being stimulated.

[edit] Mnemonic

Mnemonics are common in the medical literature. One mnemonic used to remember the direction of nystamgus is COWS.^[3]

COWS: Cold water = nystagmus to the Opposite side, Warm water = nystagmus to the Same side.

[edit] See also

• Terms for anatomical location
• Vestibulo-ocular reflex

[edit] References

1. ↑ Bardorf CM, Van Stavern GP. Nystagmus, Acquired. eMedicine.com. URL: http://www.emedicine.com/oph/topic339.htm. Accessed on: August 17, 2006.
2. ↑ Narenthiran G. Neurosurgery Quiz. Annals of Neurosurgery. URL: http://www.annals-neurosurgery.org/quiz/nsq2/#a3. Accessed on: August 17, 2006.
3. ↑ Webb C (1985). COWS caloric test.. Ann Emerg Med 14 (9): 938. PMID 4026002.

[edit] External links

• Physiology at MCG 8/8ch7/s8ch7_30

This page uses content from the English-language version of Wikipedia. The original article was at Caloric reflex test. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Psychology Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.