The beginning of Menière's disease.

Sudden deafness and low-tone hearing loss were treated by steroid therapy. Of the 106 cases of sudden deafness, 23 (21.7%) showed complete recovery, 36 (34.0%) remarkable improvement and 13 (12.3%) no change, while the results for the 56 cases of low-tone hearing loss were 32 (57.1%), 1 (1.8%), 16 (28.6%) and 7 (12.5%), respectively. Of all patients, 37 had onset of vertigo within 2 to 24 months after steroid therapy, and 17 patients, including 4 with horizontal type, 2 with deaf type and 11 with low-tone hearing loss, were diagnosed with Menière's disease. The final hearing gain for 4 cases of horizontal type and 2 cases of deaf type sudden deafness was very great. The 17 patients diagnosed with Menière's disease had hydrops of the inner ear.