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Drop attacks in Menière's disease

L M Odkvist1, J Bergenius

  • 1Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.

Acta Oto-Laryngologica. Supplementum
|January 1, 1988
PubMed

Insights

Inner ear conditions, like Meniere disease, can cause incapacitating drop attacks. Intratympanic gentamicin effectively cured drop attacks in Meniere disease patients, confirming an inner ear origin.

Area of Science:

  • Otolaryngology
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Drop attacks are often misdiagnosed, with cardiovascular causes frequently investigated over inner ear pathologies.
  • Inner ear etiology for drop attacks is underrepresented in medical literature.
  • Meniere disease can present with severe vertigo and incapacitating drop attacks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of intratympanic gentamicin in treating drop attacks associated with Meniere disease.
  • To determine if drop attacks in Meniere disease patients originate from the inner ear.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty-nine patients with severe, incapacitating Meniere attacks and frequent drop attacks were treated with intratympanic gentamicin.
  • Treatment was administered after failure of all other medical interventions.

Main Results:

  • Vertigo attacks were resolved in all but two patients.
  • All patients experienced complete resolution of drop attacks, strongly suggesting an inner ear origin.
  • Two patients experienced recurrence of inner ear symptoms.

Conclusions:

  • Intratympanic gentamicin is an effective treatment for incapacitating drop attacks in Meniere disease.
  • The complete resolution of drop attacks supports an inner ear etiology for these events in Meniere disease patients.

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