[Noninvasive evaluation of intracochlear pressure. II. Study findings in patients with Meniere's disease, fluctuating deep tone hearing and peripheral vestibular vertigo].

The tympanic membrane displacement technique (TMD) is aimed at evaluating intracochlear and intracranial pressure changes non-invasively. Therefore, the present paper describes the findings in patients with Ménière's disease where an increase in volume of the endolymphatic spaces is discussed. It should be investigated to which extent a change in the intracochlear pressure corresponds to different stages of the disease. It could be described that the intracochlear pressure does change over a certain period of persisting Ménière's, but that there is no extensive increase in intracochlear pressure between the attacks. The glycerol test as well as the acute attack (case report on one patient) are, however, characterised by distinct patterns. The same holds true for the late-stage Ménière's. It could be demonstrated that the functional patency of the cochlear aquaeduct in patients with long-term Ménière's history is reduced. This finding is surprising and should be investigated further. In essence, the TMD technique enables to better characterise Ménière patients, but it should not be a tool of routine diagnosis of the disease. In some audiological patients, it can also be beneficially applied (10).