Stria vascularis in Ménière's disease: a quantitative histopathological study

To investigate the role of pathology of the stria vascularis in Ménière's disease, the vascularity and the cross-sectional area of the stria vascularis in a midmodiolar section of the cochlea were examined by histological observation and a computer-aided planimetric, respectively, in eight temporal bones from individuals with Ménière's disease and eight age-matched normal temporal bones. The number of vessels in the stria vascularis was significantly smaller in most of the cochlear turns in ears with Ménière's disease than in control ears, and the cross-sectional area of the stria vascularis in the same sections was significantly smaller in all the cochlear turns in ears with Ménière's disease than in controls. Furthermore, vascularity correlated significantly with the cross-sectional area of the stria vascularis in all the temporal bones examined. From these results it appears that poor vascularity of the stria vascularis is closely related to strial atrophy, and that these pathological findings might be important factors in the pathophysiology of Ménière's disease.