The University is using the equipment to test patients for a range of balance and dizziness complaints, said Jaynee Handelsman, Ph.D., the Vestibular Testing Center’s assistant director.
NKI’s I-Portal NOTC system features the company’s renowned Barany (rotational) chair, optokinetic ball and Pursuit Tracker. Those components create an adaptable array of motion, optokinetic and ocular motor stimulus profiles.
Motion profiles include traditional sinusoidal and trapezoidal motion profiles as well as visual vestibular interaction and other combined ocular motor and motion tests.
The I-Portal NOTC system also includes the NKI’s I-Portal VOG (Video Oculography) system to collect the response of the eyes, and NKI’s proprietary VEST control and analysis software to operate the equipment and generate results and analysis.
“We were impressed by the effectiveness of Neuro Kinetics’ I-Portal NOTC system,” Handelsman said.
“We routinely see difficult patients, some with chronic health issues and others with weight problems,” she said. “The I-Portal NOTC allows us to address a range of issues with confidence.”
Alex Kiderman, Neuro Kinetics’ chief technology officer, said the company expects to undertake collaborative research with the University of Michigan’s Vestibular Testing Center.
One area of anticipated collaborative research, he said, is gathering normative data and testing the effectiveness of the OVAR (Off-Vertical Access Rotation) process using the clinical version of the I-Portal NOTC system.
The University of Michigan’s Vestibular Testing Center is one of the leading facilities of its kind in the world.
“The Center is highly respected by otolaryngologists, audiologists, neurologists, neuro-otologists and other researchers and clinicians,” Kiderman said. “We are honored that they have chosen to work with us and look forward to many years of partnership with them.”
