Meniett therapy may avoid vestibular neurectomy in disabling Meniere's disease.

CONCLUSION: In those patients for whom vestibular neurectomy has been selected due to the disabling recurrence of vertigo spells, Meniett therapy has been shown to allow avoidance of this surgical procedure in a fairly high percentage of patients with Meniere's disease (MD). Our data would also support a better result when pressure treatment is acting on MD of short duration.

OBJECTIVE: To test the possibility that low pressure treatment (Meniett) could avoid vestibular neurectomy in patients with MD that was refractory to medical treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The setting was a tertiary referral centre in a university hospital. Thirty-six MD patients, for whom vestibular neurectomy was indicated, underwent Meniett treatment and composed a group in which a long-term (>2 years) follow-up was achieved. Additionally, different durations of MD ('young' and 'old' MD) were distinguished and analysed separately.

RESULTS: Twenty-five patients (69.4%) were treated satisfactorily by using Meniett treatment and therefore avoided vestibular neurectomy. In half of them only one cycle of treatment was necessary.