Drop attacks in Menière's disease.

An inner ear etiology for drop attacks is easily overlooked and seldom mentioned in the literature. Cardiovascular pathology is what generally is looked for, e.g. transitory ischemic attacks. Twenty-nine patients with frequent and severe Meniere attacks were treated with gentamicin intratympanally, when they had reached a stage of incapacitation due to vertigo and dread of further attacks and all medical treatments had failed. All but one patient were suffering from more or less frequent drop attacks. The attacks of vertigo were successfully cured in all patients except 2, who had recurrence of the inner ear problem. The drop attacks disappeared in all patients, which indicates that they had an inner ear origin.