Inner ear contrast MRI for patients with definite Meniere's disease and
low- and low-to-mid-tone hearing loss
Abstract
Abstract BACKGROUND: Meniere’s disease (MD) involves cochlear and
vestibular symptoms, but the underlying cause remains unclear. Findings
predominantly show a low-to-mid-tone hearing impairment, and it is not
possible to predict hearing improvement after an attack. OBJECTIVE: To
examine whether improvement in hearing in definite MD (DMD) patients
could be predicted using inner ear contrast magnetic resonance imaging
(IEC-MRI) and pure tone audiometry (PTA) at the time of an attack.
METHODS: Between April 2020 and March 2022, seven DMD outpatients were
enrolled based on the Bárány Society DMD criteria. Patients were divided
into two groups: a low-tone hearing loss (LTL) group and a
low-to-mid-tone hearing loss (LMTL) group. Hearing improvement rates
were examined. We also examined whether endolymphatic hydrops and
hearing improvement were related. RESULTS: Endolymphatic hydrops was
found in two of four LTL cases. One of three LMTL cases had prominent
lymphedema. All LTL patients showed hearing improvements. Only one LMTL
patient showed hearing improvement. Endolymphatic hydrops did not
correlate with hearing improvement. CONCLUSIONS: It is not possible to
estimate hearing improvement using IEC-MRI. PTA showed that LTL had a
better hearing prognosis than LMTL. Therefore, it is possible to
estimate hearing improvement using PTA.