Vein graft drainage of the endolymphatic sac in patients with Menière's disease. A preliminary report.

The blood supply of the endolymphatic sac, which has a role in the absorption of endolymph, is connected to the meningeal artery separate from the branch of the cerebellar artery of the inner ear. Therefore, avoiding damage to the small vessels of the lateral wall of the sac should be important for restoring the absorptive function. To prevent adhesive closure of the drainage incision and restore the absorption function of the sac, we developed a new technique that restricts the drainage incision to a simple straight one on the rostral edge of the sac and in which a drainage vein from the back of the patient's foot is grafted with a gelatin-film core to the incised sac. Our procedure was performed on 20 patients with Menière's disease, who were followed over 24 months. The results were favorable: recovery from vertigo was "complete" in 7 cases (35%), "substantial" in 12 (60%), and "limited" in 1 case (5%) according to the new formula developed by the American Academy of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) (Miami, 1985).