Microstructural changes of the vestibulocochlear nerve in patients with Ménière's disease using diffusion tensor imaging.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the microstructural changes of the vestibulocochlear nerve in patients with Ménière's disease.

METHODS

A total of 26 subjects, 13 patients with MD and 13 healthy controls, underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) on a 3T scanner. The independent sample t-test was used to compare the differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) between the two groups. A Pearson correlation was used between DTI and the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) scores.

RESULTS

There was a significant decrease in FA and an increase in ADC of the vestibulocochlear nerve in MD patients compared with healthy controls (P = 0.04, P = 0.001). FA had negative correlations with the DHI score (r = -0.62, P = 0.02) and DHI-functional score (r = -0.64, P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

These results are the first evidence of possible changes in the microstructure of the vestibulocochlear nerves in patients with MD. DTI is a potential technique for evaluating the vestibulocochlear nerve in patients with MD.