Cochlear blood flow measurement in patients with Ménière's disease and other inner ear disorders.

To identify an eventual vascular aetiology in different diseases with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), the cochlear blood flow (CoBF) was measured using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) in 69 patients with Ménière's disease (MD), 38 patients with progressive SNHL and 8 patients with sudden deafness. The mean CoBF amplitude at rest was 0.70 mV (SD 0.25) for patients with MD, 0.66 mV (SD 0.21) for patients with SNHL and 0.69 mV (SD 0.23) for those with sudden deafness. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups with respect to the CoBF amplitudes at rest or during the Valsalva manoeuvre. There was a statistically significant correlation (r = -0.4, p < 0.05) between the hearing level and CoBF amplitude in the SNHL group only. It is concluded that the reduction in vascular flow may not be the main aetiological factor in Ménière's disease or sudden deafness. In SNHL the correlation of hearing level with the level of the LDF amplitude can be secondary to the progression of hearing loss.