Vestibular disorders can affect balance, eye movement, spatial orientation, and everyday mobility. Accurate assessment often requires different diagnostic procedures to evaluate how the vestibular system responds to head movement, rotation, and positional changes. For clinics specializing in dizziness and balance disorders, having equipment that supports multiple examination and treatment procedures can make clinical workflows more organized and efficient.
A motorized vestibular chair offers a practical approach by combining controlled patient positioning, rotational stimulation, and eye movement monitoring. Rather than relying on separate devices for different procedures, an integrated system can support a broader range of vestibular assessments and therapeutic maneuvers.
The ZEHNIT VertiChair is designed for this purpose. It combines the functions of a BPPV repositioning chair and a rotary chair testing system, providing clinicians with an integrated solution for vestibular diagnosis and treatment.
Why Clinics Need an Integrated Vestibular Testing Chair
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and other vestibular conditions may require different examination methods. BPPV assessment focuses on identifying abnormal eye movements associated with specific head positions, while rotary chair testing evaluates vestibular responses under controlled rotational stimulation.
Traditionally, these procedures may involve different equipment and patient positioning arrangements. Switching between devices can add steps to clinical workflows and require additional space.
An integrated vestibular testing chair brings these capabilities together. Clinicians can perform BPPV diagnostic and repositioning maneuvers as well as a range of rotary chair tests within one system. This arrangement helps reduce the need for multiple specialized chairs while supporting a more coordinated examination process.
For clinics managing different types of vestibular cases, this integrated design also provides flexibility to select testing and treatment procedures according to individual clinical needs.
Motorized 360° Rotation for Controlled Testing and Treatment
Precise chair movement is essential when performing rotational vestibular assessments and repositioning maneuvers. Manual rotation can make it more difficult to reproduce movement conditions consistently, particularly when specific speeds, angles, or acceleration patterns are required.
ZEHNIT VertiChair features fully motorized 360° rotation controlled through software. Its electrically driven movement eliminates the need for manual chair rotation and allows clinicians to lock the chair at different angles.
Users can select built-in standardized protocols or customize important movement parameters, including:
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Rotation speed
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Target angle
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Acceleration
This programmable control supports repeatable testing conditions and allows the chair's movement to be adapted to different diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
The ability to perform continuous rotation and maintain a selected position also makes the system suitable for both BPPV maneuvers and rotary chair examinations.
Integrated 3D Eye Tracking with VertiGoggles
Observing eye movements is an important part of vestibular assessment. During positional maneuvers and rotational stimulation, changes in eye movement can provide useful information about vestibular function.
When paired with ZEHNIT VertiGoggles, VertiChair supports real-time three-dimensional eye movement tracking. The system records horizontal, vertical, and torsional eye movement components, allowing clinicians to examine responses from multiple directions rather than relying only on a single movement plane.
Built-in calibration functions support the measurement of slow-phase velocity (SPV). This provides quantitative information that clinicians can use when evaluating vestibular responses and reviewing examination results.
Combining motorized chair movement with integrated eye tracking creates a coordinated testing environment. It allows patient positioning, rotational stimulation, and eye movement recording to be performed as part of the same examination workflow.
Ergonomic Design for Patient Positioning and Safety
Patient positioning is particularly important during BPPV diagnosis and treatment. The head must be placed at an appropriate angle to perform positional maneuvers, while the patient needs to remain securely supported throughout the procedure.
ZEHNIT VertiChair incorporates adjustable safety harnesses and a fully adjustable headrest. These features help accommodate patients with different body types and maintain secure, anatomically appropriate head positioning during testing and treatment.
The adjustable design supports clinician control over patient positioning and contributes to a more consistent examination process. It also helps create a secure environment when the chair performs controlled rotation or changes between different angles.
Comprehensive Rotary Chair Tests and BPPV Protocols
Beyond BPPV diagnosis and repositioning treatment, VertiChair supports multiple rotary chair testing protocols. These include:
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Sinusoidal Harmonic Acceleration Test (SHA)
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Velocity Step Test (VST)
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Impulse Acceleration Test (RIDT)
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Constant Acceleration Test
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Sinusoidal Acceleration Test
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Visually Enhanced VOR Test (VVOR)
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VOR Suppression Test (VORS)
The system also supports standardized or customized BPPV maneuver protocols, allowing clinicians to select procedures according to their assessment requirements.
For the ZT-CHAIR-I model, an optional off-axis centrifugation module is available for additional otolith testing. By creating lateral displacement from the central rotation axis, this module enables unilateral centrifugation for selective otolith stimulation.
It supports Unilateral Centrifugation Subjective Visual Vertical (UCF-SVV) when used with VertiSVV, as well as Unilateral Centrifugation Ocular Counter-Roll (UCF-OCR) with torsional eye movement tracking. These options provide additional ways to investigate otolith function, including cases involving unilateral deficits or central compensation.
Connected Software for a More Organized Clinical Workflow
Managing vestibular examination data is another important consideration for specialized clinics. VertiChair integrates with ZEHNIT VertiPACS, a unified software platform designed to manage vestibular assessments in one place.
This integration supports more centralized access to assessment information and helps streamline clinical data management. The system's flexible software architecture also allows users to begin with the modules most relevant to their current needs and expand functionality as their clinical practice develops.
An optional VertiAI module is also available for AI-assisted BPPV diagnosis and treatment. According to ZEHNIT, this module analyzes recorded eye movement and head position data to assist in identifying BPPV and classifying it into six subtypes. Clinicians can then initiate standardized or customized repositioning protocols through the chair. This module is currently designated for research use only and is not available in all countries.
Choosing a Vestibular Chair for Long-Term Clinical Needs
When evaluating a rotary chair for vestibular testing, clinics should consider more than rotational movement alone. The range of supported tests, eye movement monitoring capabilities, patient positioning design, software integration, and options for future expansion all influence how effectively the equipment can support clinical workflows.
By combining motorized 360° control, BPPV repositioning functions, rotary chair testing, 3D eye tracking, and connected software, ZEHNIT VertiChair provides an integrated platform for vestibular assessment and treatment.
For clinics seeking to consolidate diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities into one system, VertiChair offers a flexible solution that can support a wide range of vestibular examination requirements.
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