Efficacy of endolymphatic duct blockage in treating Ménière's disease.

OBJECTIVES

Ménière's disease (MD) is an idiopathic inner ear disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of episodic rotational vertigo, fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus, and a feeling of ear stuffiness. Endolymphatic sac (ES)-related surgery is used primarily in patients with MD who have failed to respond to pharmacologic therapy. Endolymphatic duct blockage (EDB) is a new procedure for the treatment of MD, and related clinical studies are still scarce. This study aims to investigate the dynamic changes in endolymphatic hydrops (EH) and the long-term surgical outcomes in MD patients undergoing EDB, and to evaluate the impact of different types of ES on the surgical efficacy.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 33 patients with refractory MD who underwent EDB. Based on the morphology of their endolymphatic sacs, patients were divided into a normal-type group (n=14) and an atrophic-type group (n=19). The frequency of vertigo symptoms, hearing, vestibular function, and the dynamic changes of gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the inner ear were compared were compared before and after surgery between the 2 groups.

RESULTS

Compared with the atrophic-type group, the patients in the normal-type group had a higher rate of complete vertigo control, better cochlear and vestibular function, and a lower endolymph to vestibule volume ratio (all P<0.05). In addition, 7 patients in the normal-type group were found to have reversal of EH, while no reversal of EH was detected in the atrophic-type group after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

The response to EDB treatment varies between normal and atrophic MD patients, suggesting that the 2 pathological types of endolymphatic sacs may have different underlying mechanisms of disease.