Interpretation of electrocochleography in Menière's disease and normal subjects

Electrocochleographic recordings were obtained from 20 subjects with normal hearing and 10 subjects with Menière's disease by using an eardrum electrode. Stimuli included clicks and 6,000-Hz tone bursts. Results were not significantly different between the two groups for summating potential (SP) amplitude, action potential (AP) amplitude, or the SP/AP amplitude ratio. Interpreting the results in light of symptoms on the date of assessment or hearing threshold did not appear to improve separation between the two groups. Various SP/AP amplitude ratio criteria have been proposed in order to separate normal patients from those with Menière's disease. Applying these proposed criteria to our data did not successfully separate the two groups.