Peripheral and central vestibular system findings in Meniere's disease

Meniere's Disease (MD) is a chronic disease that is characterized by intermittent episodes of tinnitus, vertigo, and progressivefluctuating sensorineural hearing loss together with aural fullness. The aim of this study is to evaluate Meniere's disease patients with vestibular test battery as Videonystagmography (VNG), Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMPs) and Video Head Impulse Test (V-HIT) to assess peripheral and central vestibular systems.

16 bilateral, 17 unilateral patients suffering from MD (mean age, 40.90 years, range, 23 to 66 years; 20 women and 13 men) comprised the study group, and 39 healthy (mean age, 38.10 years, range from 21 to 60 years; 22 women and 17 men) volunteers formed control group. Evaluation of peripheral and central vestibular systems changes with oculomotor tests, caloric test, C-VEMPs, O-VEMPs, and the evaluation of the vestibular ocular reflex (VOR) using the V-HIT.

Twenty-six ears out of the forty-nine ears that were affected by Meniere's disease were diagnosed as otolith or ampullary dysfunction. As to O-VEMPs testing, N1 and P1 waves could not be obtained from thirty of the forty-nine ears affected by Meniere's disease. As for obtained N1 and P1 waves, prolonged N1 and P1 wave latencies, and reduced amplitude was observed in Meniere's group. P1 and N1 waves were not observed in 5 bilateral and 2 unilateral Meniere's patients (12 ears out of 49 affected ears) in C-VEMPs recordings (23.9%). In Meniere's patients' group, 44.9% of the velocity gain values were obtained in the pathologic borders of v- HIT. In addition to lower velocity gain, higher ratios of asymmetry were obtained from the ears affected with Meniere's disease.

According to these results, it can be concluded that Meniere's disease significantly affects the peripheral vestibular system but the functions of the central vestibular system were not affected.