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Updated: Sep 4, 2025

Surgical Induction of Endolymphatic Hydrops by Obliteration of the Endolymphatic Duct
Published on: January 22, 2010
Development and Characteristics of Hearing Loss With the Progression of Endolymphatic Hydrops
Yue Niu1, Wei Chen2, Mengyan Lin2
1Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat (EENT) Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
ObjectivesThis study aims to explore how patients' hearing loss developed with the progression of endolymphatic hydrops and the characteristics of hearing loss at different stages.Materials and MethodsWe collected 73 patients with definite or possible unilateral Meniere's disease or sudden hearing loss who underwent magnetic resonance imaging after intravenous contrast agent injection. There were 25 cases of isolated cochlear hydrops, 24 cases of isolated vestibular hydrops, and 24 cases of cochlear and vestibular hydrops. Primary outcome analyses included their evaluation of endolymphatic hydrops and hearing thresholds at low and high frequencies.ResultsThe overall hearing threshold of patients with vestibular and cochlear hydrops was significantly higher than that of patients with isolated cochlear hydrops and patients with isolated vestibular hydrops. There was a significant correlation between low-frequency hearing loss and cochlear hydrops, and the low-frequency hearing threshold was proportional to the grade of cochlear hydrops. At low frequency, the hearing threshold of patients with isolated vestibular hydrops was lower than that of patients with isolated cochlear hydrops and patients with both cochlear and vestibular hydrops. The audiogram configurations of patients with isolated cochlear hydrops consist largely of flat type and up-sloping type. The audiogram configurations of patients with isolated vestibular hydrops and patients with both cochlear and vestibular hydrops are mainly flat type and down-sloping type.ConclusionsPatients present with low-frequency hearing loss in the early stage of endolymphatic hydrops. When the hydrops involves the whole cochlea and vestibule, the patients' hearing is impaired at both low and high frequencies.
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