Endolymphatic hydrops revealed by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with atypical Meniere's disease.

CONCLUSION: Our study showed that patients with atypical Meniere's disease had endolymphatic hydrops (EH) in both the cochlea and the vestibule. Using an imaging method, we provide evidence that atypical Meniere's disease is a true variant of classic Meniere's disease.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of present study was to investigate images of the endolymphatic space in patients with atypical Meniere's disease (cochlear and vestibular Meniere's disease).

METHODS: Sixty-four patients divided into two groups were enrolled in this study. The first group included 36 patients who had fluctuating hearing loss without vertigo, as candidates for cochlear Meniere's disease (CMD). The second group included 28 patients who had recurrent vertigo without hearing loss, as candidates for vestibular Meniere's disease (VMD). The patients underwent 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after injection of gadolinium enhancement medium intratympanically or intravenously. We evaluated EH using MRI.

RESULTS: Of 56 ears (36 patients) with CMD, 38 showed EH in the cochlea and 44 showed EH in the vestibule. Of 56 ears (28 patients) with VMD, 29 showed EH in the cochlea and 47 showed EH in the vestibule. The VMD group had a significant vestibular predominance in EH distribution whereas the CMD group showed no significant regional predominance of EH.