scholarly journals MR Imaging of Cochlear Modiolus and Endolymphatic Hydrops in Patients With Menière's Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Sousa ◽  
Carla Guerreiro ◽  
Tiago Eça ◽  
Jorge Campos ◽  
Leonel Luis

Background: Menière's disease (MD) is an inner ear disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of spontaneous vertigo, unilateral low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness. Current diagnosis still often has to rely on subjective and audiometric criteria only, although endolymphatic hydrops is recognized as the pathophysiological substrate of the disease, having been demonstrated in anatomical pathological studies and by magnetic resonance (MRI). The modiolus has a close functional and anatomical relationship with the cochlear nerve and membranous labyrinth and can be evaluated with MRI but no data exist on the modiolar size in MD.Purpose: Our purpose is to examine the following hypothesis. Is cochlear modiolus smaller in symptomatic ears in MD?Methods: We used a retrospective 3 Tesla MR study (heavily T2-weighted 3D fast asymmetric spin-echo images and 0.5 mm slice thickness) comparing the mean modiolar area (MMA) in the index and best ears of eight patients with definite MD based on audiometric data. The obtained MMA values were compared against the audiometric data and the presence of vestibular endolymphatic hydrops.Results: No differences were seen in MMA between best and worst ears. Ears with a pure tone average (PTA) ≥25 dB and more pronounced endolymphatic hydrops showed lower MMA (not statistically significant). Two patients with extreme endolymphatic hydrops showed a noteworthy ipsilateral decrease in the cochlear modiolus area.Conclusion: No differences were seen in MMA between best and worst ears in definite MD. Worse hearing function (PTA ≥ 25dB) and more pronounced endolymphatic hydrops seem to be associated with lower MMA. This might be related to bone remodeling as a consequence of endolymphatic hydrops. Further research is needed to corroborate and explore these findings.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baihui He ◽  
Fan Zhang ◽  
Hui Zheng ◽  
Xiayu Sun ◽  
Junmin Chen ◽  
...  

Background: Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the membranous labyrinth and electrocochleography (ECochG) have been used to diagnose endolymphatic hydrops (ELH) in patients with Ménière's disease (MD), the relationship between imaging and ECochG is not well-documented.Objectives: This study evaluates the ELH using 3D-FLAIR MRI and extra-tympanic ECochG (ET-ECochG) and correlates the results from 3D-FLAIR MRI to those from ET-ECochG.Materials and Methods: 3D-FLAIR MRI images of 50 patients were assessed using a 2D volume-referencing grading system (VR scores, relative scores according to the known volumes of the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals). Forty healthy subjects were included and compared to 51 definite MD ears of 50 patients while analyzing the ET-ECochG, which used a self-made bronze foil electrode. The amplitude ratio of the summating potential (SP) to the action potential (AP) (SP/AP) and the area ratio of SP to AP (Asp/Aap) were collected. Relative ELH grade scores were then correlated to ET-ECochG (SP/AP, Asp/Aap).Results: The VR scores showed a better correlation (r = 0.88) with the pure tone average (PTA), disease duration, and vertigo frequency of MD than the Bernaerts scores (grading the cochlea and vestibule separately) (r = 0.22). The SP/AP and Asp/Aap of the unilateral MD patients were statistically comparable to those measured in contralateral ears and the results between the definite MD ears with healthy ears were statistically comparable (p < 0.05). In a ROC analysis Asp/Aap (area under curve, AUC 0.98) significantly (p = 0.01) outperformed SP/AP (AUC 0.91). The total score of ELH, vestibular ELH, and cochlear ELH were also correlated with SP/AP and Asp/Aap. The strongest correlation was found between the Asp/Aap and cochlear ELH (r = 0.60).Conclusion: The 2D volume-referencing grading system was more meaningful than the Bernaerts scores. A correlation was found between ELH revealed by 3D-FLAIR MRI and the SP/AP of ET-ECochG in evaluating definite MD patients. The Asp/Aap appeared a more sensitive and reliable parameter than SP/AP for diagnosing the ELH of the membranous labyrinth.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calvin J. Kersbergen ◽  
Bryan K. Ward

Meniere's disease is an inner ear disorder without a known cause. Endolymphatic hydrops is a swelling of the endolymph spaces that has been observed consistently on post-mortem histology in patients with a history of Meniere's disease but can occur in asymptomatic individuals and in association with other diseases. Since its discovery, Meniere's disease has been a disorder managed primarily by otolaryngologists. Surgical treatments, therefore, have accompanied attempts at medical management. Inspired by patients' sensations of ear fullness and later by the histologic findings of hydrops, surgeons began manipulating the membranous labyrinth to relieve episodes of vertigo while attempting to preserve hearing. This review highlights this history of manipulation of the membranous labyrinth. These procedures indicate a rich history of innovation that parallels developments in otologic surgery. The studies involving patients are uniformly retrospective, with some procedures performed first in animal models of endolymphatic hydrops. Many approaches were endorsed by eminent otologic surgeons. Surgeries on the endolymphatic sac are performed by some surgeons today; however, procedures on the membranous labyrinth resulted in similar symptomatic relief through a minimally invasive technique, in many cases performed using only local anesthetic. Episodic vertigo in patients with Meniere's disease is a distressing symptom, yet spontaneous remissions are common. The reports of procedures on the membranous labyrinth reviewed here consistently indicated fewer vertigo episodes. Variable degrees of hearing loss were common following these procedures, and many were abandoned. Additional innovative surgeries are inevitable, but we must understand better the relationships among endolymphatic hydrops, Meniere's disease pathophysiology, and patient symptoms.


2021 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Munehisa Fukushima ◽  
Yu Suekata ◽  
Takuya Kusumoto ◽  
Shiro Akahani ◽  
Hidehiko Okamoto ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 129 (11) ◽  
pp. 1326-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maiko Miyagawa ◽  
Hisakuni Fukuoka ◽  
Keita Tsukada ◽  
Tomohiro Oguchi ◽  
Yutaka Takumi ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun-Young Oh ◽  
Marianne Dieterich ◽  
Bit Na Lee ◽  
Rainer Boegle ◽  
Jin-Ju Kang ◽  
...  

Objective: Intravenous contrast agent enhanced, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging of the inner ear (iMRI) confirmed that patients with Menière's disease (MD) and vestibular migraine (VM) could present with endolymphatic hydrops (EH). The present study aimed to investigate EH characteristics and their interrelation to neurotologic testing in patients with VM, MD, or VM with concurrent MD (VM-MD).Methods: Sixty–two patients (45 females, aged 23–81 years) with definite or probable VM (n = 25, 19 definite), MD (n = 29, 17 definite), or showing characteristics of both diseases (n = 8) were included in this study. Diagnostic workup included neurotologic assessments including video-oculography (VOG) during caloric stimulation and head-impulse test (HIT), ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (o/cVEMP), pure tone audiometry (PTA), as well as iMRI. EH's degree was assessed visually and via volumetric quantification using a probabilistic atlas-based segmentation of the bony labyrinth and volumetric local thresholding (VOLT).Results: Although a relevant number of VM patients reported varying auditory symptoms (13 of 25, 52.0%), EH in VM was only observed twice. In contrast, EH in VM-MD was prevalent (2/8, 25%) and in MD frequent [23/29, 79.3%; χ2(2) = 29.1, p < 0.001, φ = 0.7]. Location and laterality of EH and neurophysiological testing classifications were highly associated (Fisher exact test, p < 0.005). In MD, visual semi-quantitative grading and volumetric quantification correlated highly to each other (rS = 0.8, p < 0.005, two-sided) and to side differences in VOG during caloric irrigation (vestibular EH ipsilateral: rS = 0.6, p < 0.05, two-sided). In VM, correlations were less pronounced. VM-MD assumed an intermediate position between VM and MD.Conclusion: Cochlear and vestibular hydrops can occur in MD and VM patients with auditory symptoms; this suggests inner ear damage irrespective of the diagnosis of MD or VM. The EH grades often correlated with auditory symptoms such as hearing impairment and tinnitus. Further research is required to uncover whether migraine is one causative factor of EH or whether EH in VM patients with auditory symptoms suggests an additional pathology due to MD.


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