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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
Audiology & Neuro-Otology
|November 7, 2012
Summary
Ménière's disease (MD) may affect patients with only cochlear symptoms. The Ménière's Disease Index (MDI) shows potential for diagnosing this "cochlear MD" using hearing tests and electrocochleography.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Neurology
- Audiology
Background:
- Current Ménière's disease (MD) diagnostic criteria exclude patients with only cochlear symptoms.
- The Ménière's Disease Index (MDI) is a novel multidimensional measure combining audiometric and electrocochleographic data.
- MDI correlates with established clinical degrees of Ménière's disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of the Ménière's Disease Index (MDI) in patients presenting solely with cochlear symptoms.
- To explore the potential for diagnosing a "cochlear MD" subtype.
- To assess if these patients share pathophysiology with classic MD.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-one patients with hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness but no vertigo were included.
- Transtympanic electrocochleography was performed on all participants.
- The Ménière's Disease Index (MDI) was calculated for each patient using a validated formula.
Main Results:
- The mean MDI value for patients with only cochlear symptoms was 5.7.
- This value falls between the mean MDI of non-MD patients (0) and definite MD patients (10).
Conclusions:
- Patients with "cochlear MD" may represent a distinct clinical entity.
- This entity might share Ménière-like pathophysiology or underlying endolymphatic hydrops.
- Audiometry and electrocochleography, via MDI, show promise in identifying these cases.
