ENT: which examination actually settles it?
In ENT, the test that settles the question is almost always a clinical examination, not a machine. A head CT detects only 28.5% of central causes of acute vertigo, while a three-minute oculomotor examination detects 94.0% (GRACE-3 meta-analysis, Academic Emergency Medicine, 2023). The same logic applies to the sinuses: 66% of adults with no symptoms at all have an abnormal sinus image on MRI (Norwegian HUNT study, 2014). An abnormal image is not a diagnosis.
The questions people ask us
- The room spins when I turn over in bed, do I need a scan?
- I have a ringing in one ear, is that serious?
- I ask everyone to repeat themselves, when should I get hearing aids?
- I snore and I am tired all day, what does a sleep recording measure?
- My nose has been blocked for months, do I need surgery?
- My sinus scan is abnormal, what does that prove?
What the figures say
| What is measured | The figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity of head CT for a central cause of acute vertigo | 28.5% | Shah, Academic Emergency Medicine, 2023 |
| Sensitivity of the bedside HINTS examination, by a trained clinician | 94.0% | Gottlieb, Cochrane, 2023 |
| Patients with benign positional vertigo who received effective treatment | 8% | von Brevern, JNNP, 2007 |
| Adults with no symptoms showing sinus opacification on MRI | 66% | Hansen, HUNT study, 2014 |
| Schwannoma found on MRI for tinnitus in one ear without hearing asymmetry | 0.08% | Javed, Otology and Neurotology, 2023 |
| Adults over 60 with disabling hearing loss | more than 25% | World Health Organization, 2026 |
| People waiting for ENT care in England, June 2026 | 594,546, with 59.0% treated within 18 weeks | NHS England, 2026 |
Those seven lines say one thing. In ENT, imaging confirms, it does not search. The two most expensive mistakes are symmetrical: ordering a scan that will not see what you fear, and operating on an image two thirds of the population also has.
What Noria Health does in ENT, and what it does not
Noria Health arranges a full ENT work-up near Brussels within 24 to 48 hours: otological examination, pure-tone and speech audiometry, vestibular examination with manoeuvres, nasal endoscopy, and a sleep recording where the history indicates one. The report is issued within 24 hours, follow-up is structured at D14, D30 and D90, and surgery is considered only around day 10 if it is needed.
What Noria Health does not do: manage an emergency. Sudden vertigo with difficulty speaking, seeing, or weakness on one side of the body, or sudden hearing loss in one ear, belongs to your country’s emergency services, immediately, not to an appointment.
Who reviewed this page
Noria Health editorial team.
The ENT articles
- Hearing: 430 million people need hearing care
- Snoring and sleep apnoea, a cardiovascular risk worth testing for
- Vertigo: only 8% of patients get the treatment that works
- Tinnitus: 14.4% of adults worldwide
- Chronic sinusitis: 10.9% of Europeans report it, 3% to 6% are confirmed
Have your case reviewed. Noria Health arranges a specialist consultation near Brussels and confirms feasibility within 24 to 48 hours. Open a case.