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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
In Vivo Morphometric Analysis of Human Cranial Nerves Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Menière's Disease Ears and Normal Hearing Ears
Published on: February 21, 2018
Evaluation of low-frequency biasing as a diagnostic tool in Menière patients
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Faculty of Medicine of University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands. n.j.hof@kno.umcg.nl
Abstract:
Although it is generally accepted that endolymphatic hydrops is the cause of complaints in patients suffering from Menière's disease, it has not been possible up to now to prove the presence of an endolymphatic hydrops in living humans. This study evaluated the psychophysical method introduced by Mrowinski et al. [Mrowinski D., Gerull G., Nubel K., Scholz G., 1995. Masking and pitch shift of tone bursts and clicks by low-frequency tones. Hear. Res. 85, 95-102; Mrowinski D., Scholz G., Krompass S., Nubel K., 1996. Diagnosis of endolymphatic hydrops by low-frequency masking. Audiol. Neurootol. 1, 125-134] to diagnose endolymphatic hydrops. These authors used low frequency biasing to differentiate between individuals with and individuals without Menière's disease. In the present study no statistically significant differences in masking parameters could be found between a large number (n=91) of ears with Menière's disease and ears (n=52) with comparable sensorineural hearing losses, but without symptoms of Menière's disease. Our results support the idea that results deviating from normal in low frequency biasing measurements are not due to endolymphatic hydrops itself, but to other pathological changes of the inner ear. An explanation could be that with increasing hearing loss the gain of the cochlear amplifier decreases, leading to smaller modulation depths.
Insights
This study found low-frequency masking tests do not reliably diagnose endolymphatic hydrops in Menière
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Audiology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Endolymphatic hydrops is widely accepted as the cause of Menière's disease symptoms.
- Diagnosing endolymphatic hydrops in living patients has remained challenging.
- Previous psychophysical methods for diagnosis have shown promise but require further validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a specific psychophysical method for diagnosing endolymphatic hydrops.
- To determine if low-frequency masking parameters can differentiate Menière's disease patients from those with other sensorineural hearing losses.
- To investigate the underlying causes of abnormal low-frequency masking results.
Main Methods:
- A psychophysical method using low-frequency biasing was employed.
- Masking parameters were measured in patients with Menière's disease (n=91) and compared to those with comparable sensorineural hearing loss (n=52).
- Statistical analysis was performed to identify significant differences between the groups.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences in masking parameters were found between Menière's disease ears and control ears.
- The study suggests that abnormal low-frequency masking results may not directly indicate endolymphatic hydrops.
- Decreased cochlear amplifier gain with increasing hearing loss could explain observed deviations.
Conclusions:
- The evaluated low-frequency masking method is not a reliable diagnostic tool for endolymphatic hydrops.
- Deviations in low-frequency masking may be attributed to other inner ear pathologies, such as reduced cochlear amplifier gain.
- Further research is needed to understand the relationship between hearing loss, cochlear function, and Menière's disease.
