Recognizing Decompensated Meniere's Disease Using High Frequency Rotational Test.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the high-frequency rotational test for discrimination of patients with decompensated from those with compensated Meniere's disease. Patients with unilateral Meniere's disease were divided into two groups (compensated and decompensated), based on the presence of clinically significant positional nystagmus as a determinant of the compensation status. All patients and subjects underwent pure tone audiometry, video nystagmography, and the vestibular autorotation test (VAT). The gain, phase, and asymmetry values of VAT were evaluated to range between 2 and 6 Hz. Phase values of horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) at 2.0, 2.3, and 2.7 Hz were significantly higher in the decompensated group (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in gain values, phase values, of vertical VOR and horizontal asymmetry values. Our study confirmed that horizontal phase values were determined as sensitive markers in VAT to discriminate decompensated from compensated Meniere's disease.