Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 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
Does 'cochlear Ménière's disease' exist? An electrocochleographic and audiometric study
Gerd M E Claes1, Claudia F J De Valck, Paul Van de Heyning
1Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University of Antwerp, STATUA (University of Antwerp Center of Statistics), Antwerp, Belgium. gerdclaes@telenet.be
Introduction:
According to current diagnostic criteria, patients exhibiting only cochlear symptoms without vertigo cannot be diagnosed with Ménière's disease (MD). The recently reported Ménière's Disease Index (MDI) combines audiometric and electrocochleographic parameters in a multidimensional measure correlating with the clinical degrees of MD.
Materials And Methods:
Twenty-one patients with hearing loss, tinnitus and aural fullness, but without vertigo, underwent transtympanic electrocochleography. Based on the previously reported formula, the MDI value for every patient was calculated.
Results:
Mean MDI value was 5.7 on a scale from 0 (mean value of non-MD patients) to 10 (mean value of definite MD patients).
Conclusions:
We can thus hypothesize that, based on audiometry and electrocochleography, 'cochlear MD' patients may represent a separate clinical entity with Ménière-like pathophysiology or underlying endolymphatic hydrops.
