Cochlear implantation in Ménière's disease: a systematic review of literature and pooled analysis.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cochlear implantation (CI) in advanced Ménière's disease (MD).

Design

The initial search on PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases yielded 171 articles; no language restriction was applied.Study sample: A total of 11 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. Six articles provided patient-level data on improvement in speech recognition testing after CI.

Results

The methodological quality of included studies was assessed by examining the study design, level of evidence, method of measurement and adequacy of outcome reporting. A random-effect model was fitted for calculating weighted means. Post-operative improvement in word recognition score (WCS) was 50.8% (95% confidence interval: 34.6-67.1%); general improvement of vestibular symptoms after CI was found in 67% of the pooled patients; when reported in the studies, quality of life (QoL) and tinnitus were also generally improved after CI.

Conclusions

CI in advanced MD is a valid option providing good outcomes in terms of speech performances, regardless of the disease duration, uni- or bilaterality, age at implantation, previous therapeutic procedures and stage of activity of MD.