Vestibular neurectomy is an effective method eliminating vertigo attacks in patients suffering from disabling Meniere\'s disease with no clinical improvement despite conservative and intratympanic therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging allows in vivo evaluation of changes manifesting in the inner ear after treatment; however, downgrading of the endolymphatic hydrops after vestibular neurectomy had not been previously described in the literature. In the present article, a case of a patient with unilateral severe Meniere\'s disease treated with selective vestibular nerve section from middle fossa approach was described. Clinical symptoms and audiovestibular tests were evaluated before and 13 months after the surgery. Complete resolution of vertigo episodes and hearing preservation was achieved. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and after the surgery using a 3 Tesla scanner with dedicated protocol after intravenous administration of gadolinium contrast agent. In the follow-up examination, regression of the cochlear and vestibular endolymphatic hydrops was visualized, which may suggest processes occurring in the labyrinth as a result of the vestibular efferent fibers section.

Intralabyrinthine schwannomas (ILSs) are rare tumors involving the otic capsule. Notably, they are often misdiagnosed because their symptoms mimic those of other, more common inner ear pathologies. Diagnosis requires high-resolution contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which reveals filling defects (using a T2-weighted MRI sequence) or focal enhancement (using a T1-weighted MRI sequence with gadolinium enhancement) in the inner ear. A 52-year-old male patient with intractable vertigo or single-sided deafness should raise suspicion of this clinical entity as a differential diagnosis. Translabyrinthine excision of the tumor along with auditory rehabilitation using a cochlear implant can provide good outcomes with minimal morbidity in carefully selected cases. Here, we present an interesting case of a transmodiolar ILS mimicking Meniere\'s disease, wherein surgery using the translabyrinthine approach and an extended cochleostomy yielded favorable outcomes.

UNASSIGNED: The primary objective of this study was to present the progressive changes from labyrinthitis to endolymphatic hydrops (EH) demonstrated in the inner ear MRI of a patient with MD and suspected immune dysfunction.
UNASSIGNED: This 31-year-old male was diagnosed with MD and suspected autoimmune diseases.
UNASSIGNED: Immunosuppressants and biological agents.
UNASSIGNED: Inner ear MRI images.
UNASSIGNED: Changes in the patient\'s progress revealed that inner ear immune and inflammatory changes might induce EH, which may eventually turn into MD.
UNASSIGNED: This case is the first documented case of MRI revealing progressive changes from inflammatory response to endolymphatic hydrops in the inner ear. It shows the correlation between MD and inflammation visually. It is of great significance to reveal the pathogenesis of MD to further assist in the guidance of treatment decision making.

To perform a matched cohort study to assess whether patients with Meniere\'s Disease (MD) require more intensive auditory rehabilitation following cochlear implantation (CI) and identify factors that may affect outcomes in patients with MD.
A retrospective case review was performed. MD and control patients were matched for age, biological sex, implant manufacturer and electrode design. Outcomes measured were speech scores, number of visits to audiology department following switch-on, and post-operative active MD.
Forty consecutive implanted MD patients were identified between May 1993 and May 2019. Patients with active MD following CI required significantly more visits to the audiology department compared to controls (P < 0.01) and patients who had inactive MD post-operatively (P < 0.01). However, in MD patients, active MD was less likely following CI (P = 0.03). In patients who continued to experience active MD post-operatively, further medical and surgical ablative intervention was required to control ongoing Meniere\'s attacks.
We present the largest case series of performance outcomes in CI patients with MD. Although speech outcomes in MD patients are comparable to controls, patients with active MD pre-operatively are more likely to experience variation in CI performance requiring a prolonged period of auditory rehabilitation compared to inactive preoperative MD.

暂无摘要。

Enhancement of the subarachnoid space after intravenous administration of gadolinium contrast agent is not common. Enhancement usually occurs in pathological conditions that increase the permeability of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, most notably in meningitis. We herein describe possible subarachnoid enhancement in patients with no apparent effect on the meninges. These patients had clinical signs of Meniere\'s disease and underwent specific magnetic resonance imaging of the inner ear to possibly visualize endolymphatic hydrops. The endolymphatic space can be noninvasively imaged by intravenous administration of contrast agent, usually at a double dose, 4 hours before the scanning process. During this time, the contrast agent penetrates not only the perilymph but also the subarachnoid space, where the highest concentration occurs after 4 hours according to some studies.

OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of wide band tympanometry (WBT) as a diagnostic tool for Ménière\'s disease (MD) by comparing differences in absorbance measures between normal hearing ears and patient diagnosed with MD.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case-control study. From a cohort of 116 patients diagnosed with Ménière disease, 52 MD patients and 99 normal hearing adults with no history of otological disease served as subjects. Wideband tympanometry was conducted using at Titan Impedance module and audiometry was performed with a MADSEN Astera2. Mean energy absorbance curves with 95% confidence intervals were computed across cases with MD and controls in the frequency range 226-8000 Hz. An overall test for difference between curves of cases and controls was calculated by multivariate analysis of variance.
RESULTS: The MD group and the subpopulations of MD patients who fulfilled the International criteria for MD showed a statistically significant lower absorbance at tympanic peak pressure compared to the control group (p < 0.001). No overlap of confidence intervals between mean curves was found within the frequency range of 2000-4000 Hz.
CONCLUSIONS: Absorbance measures obtained by WBT were able to distinguish between MD ears and normal ears within the frequency range of 2000-4000 Hz. The results indicate that WBT potentially could be a useful and simple non-invasive diagnostic tool for MD. However, more research on the association between absorbance measures and inner ear pathologies is needed.

BACKGROUND: Superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) is characterized by CT-confirmed bony erosion over the superior semicircular canal, creating vestibular and auditory symptoms. Endolymphatic hydrops (EH) is characterized by an MRI-confirmed excess of endolymph within the scala media that distorts the membranous labyrinth. While there is overlap in symptoms, the two diseases result from different pathophysiologies and require different interventions.
METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles on a database of 270 adult SSCD patients, gathered between March 2011 and February 2020. A review of clinical notes, post-operative findings, and imaging was performed for 16 patients who had both CT-confirmed SSCD and an MRI of the internal auditory canal (IAC). Three cases of concurrent SSCD and EH were identified. Medical and surgical history, symptom progression pre- and post-operatively, and treatment outcomes were gathered. One patient\'s symptoms were resolved via mycophenolate mofetil, another\'s via hydrochlorothiazide, and the third\'s via hydrochlorothiazide and bilateral hearing aids.
CONCLUSIONS: Post-surgical persistence of SSCD symptoms that are mutually shared with EH is the strongest indicator that a physician should investigate for concurrent EH. VEMP and audiogram testing in these cases can be misleading and should not be relied on as rule-in or rule-out tests.
CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent SSCD and EH is a rare but treatable entity. Physicians should consider ordering an MRI of the IAC if SSCD patients\' symptoms persist or recur after a successful surgery.

A 38-year-old woman had suffered from recurrent vertigo, deafness and tinnitus for 2 years. After treatment for Meniere\'s disease, her symptoms did not improve. The threshold of pure tone audiometry was 68dBHL SNHL. High resolution CT of the temporal bone showed that a mass is behind the posterior semicircular canal. MRI showed that mixed signals are in the center of the mass and long T1T2 signal around the mass. The mass was surgically resected. Pathology report showed: endolymphatic sac tumor.

BACKGROUND:   Jugular bulb diverticulum constitutes a rare clinical entity that may present with variable symptoms. When obstructing the endolymphatic duct, it may cause sensorineural hearing loss and vertigo, mimicking Meniere\'s disease. Diagnosis is based on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans, with magnetic resonance and digital subtraction angiography being more specific and detailed diagnostic methods. Treatment options include surgical decompression, endovascular embolization, or stenting. Description of the case: We report a jugular bulb diverticulum case manifesting as Meniere\'s disease and treated with endovascular embolization. The procedure was uneventful, and the patient\'s vertigo gradually disappeared over two months. No medical treatment was required for the next 2.5 years as the patient remained asymptomatic with no more vertigo attacks.
CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular embolization can be the method of choice in selected cases of jugular bulb diverticulum. HIPPOKRATIA 2019, 23(4): 172-174.