Eustachian tube blockage and Meniere's disease.

On the basis of our clinical experience, it has been noted that an unusually large proportion of patients with Meniere's disease have intermittent eustachian tube blockage. A review of the tympanograms of 81 patients with Meniere's disease, representing 107 ears, showed that 25 (30.9%) of the patients and 35 (32.7%) of the ears had abnormal negative middle ear pressure. The maximum compliance peak was in at a pressure point in excess of --100 mm H2O. Further investigation of these patients has led us to conclude that intermittent eustachian tube blockage frequently accompanies Meniere's disease, yet it is not necessarily the cause of the symptomatic disorder.