Dynamics in Endolymphatic Hydrops & Symptoms in Meniere's Disease After Endolymphatic Duct Blockage, Preliminary Results

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the dynamics of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) and symptoms in a group of patients who underwent endolymphatic duct blockage (EDB) for treatment of intractable Meniere's Disease (MD), and to explore a metric for verifying the effectiveness of EDB procedure. Methods: A total of 22 patients with intractable MD patients who underwent EDB participated in the present study. EH was visualized using locally enhanced inner ear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to and following surgery. The vestibular hydrops ratio (VHR) in the second MRI examination was compared with the pre-surgery recordings. Results: Following EDB, 6 patients exhibited complete or partial reversal of EH, complete control of vertigo spells and reported improvement in hearing; 13 patients showed no changes in EH or hearing, but 5 of these patients exhibited complete control of vertigo attacks, and the other 8 patients exhibited improved control of vertigo attacks. The final 3 patients showed an increase in EH, but symptomatic worsening in 2 patients, and symptomatic improvement in 1 patient. There was a significant difference in the average VHR prior to and following EDB. Postoperative VHR was positively correlated with the frequency of vertigo spells in the latest 6 months of follow-up and improvement of postoperative average hearing threshold. Conclusion: The decreased EH accompanying the reduction in vertigo attacks and hearing preservation may provide a metric for verifying the effectiveness of EDB treatment in patients with MD.