Macula utriculi in four cases with Meniere's disease.

Four patients suffering from Meniere's disease were labyrinthectomized. Maculae utriculi were removed and studied by electron microscopy. The neuro-epithelia from all four patients appeared fairly normal, considering the age of the patients. However, two types of degenerative change, which could be related to the inner ear disorder, could be distinguished. One was vacuolation of the sensory cell cytoplasm, followed by pycnosis of the nucleus and cell death. The other was cystic degeneration. This started with localized separations between the sensory cell and the nerve chalice. These separations developed into a single cystic cavity. A few large intra-epithelial cysts were found, probably representing the final stage of the cystic degenerative process.