The contralateral ear in Méniére disease

We conducted a survey of 292 patients who had Meniere disease to determine whether there was either some subjective complaint like tinnitus or hearing impairment or an objective symptom like hearing loss or recruitment of the contralateral ear. In 212 (73%) patients, signs of disturbed hearing in the second ear were present. If only the combination of sensorineural hearing loss, recruitment, and tinnitus is accepted as a definite proof of the diagnosis of Meniere disease, at least 10% of the patients we studied suffer from bilateral Meniere disease. Usually, there is an interval between the onset of the impairment in the first and in the second ear; an involvement of both ears from the first onset of the disease has been found in only six patients. We believe that involvement of the second ear in so many of the patients suggest that a conservative method of treatment should always be considered.