Menière's disease: morphological findings in eighth nerve and vestibular end organs

37 patients with advanced Menière's disease were operated on by translabyrinthine 8th nerve neurectomy or middle fossa vestibular neurectomy. Cochlear and vestibular nerves, epithelia of the utricular macula and ampullar crista of horizontal canal were studied. All specimens were fairly well preserved and the microscopic studies suggested that there is no general deterioration of these structures even in long-standing, advanced Menière's disease, but some minor deviations from normal are present in individual cells.