Surgical management of Meniere’s disease in the era of gentamicin

Abstract

For many years, surgery was the mainstay of therapy for medically refractory patients, but recently, transtympanic gentamicin perfusion has attracted increasing interest and is a method frequently used for treating Meniere's disease. Many otologists question the relevance of surgical treatments, and traditional options are rarely discussed or offered to patients. The purpose of this study is to describe results of labyrinthectomy, vestibular nerve section, and endolymphatic mastoid shunt surgery for patients with Meniere's disease and to compare them with published results for gentamicin perfusion. Retrospective chart review. Two hundred twenty-nine patients underwent surgery for management of Meniere's disease between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2001. One hundred eighty-nine patients' charts had sufficient data for review. Thirty-two patients had translabyrinthine labyrinthectomies, 83 underwent suboccipital vestibular nerve sections, and 74 elected for an endolymphatic mastoid shunt. Hearing results, dizziness classification, and functional level score were determined from patient charts and telephone conversations. All results were in accordance with the guidelines of the AAO-HNS Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium for evaluation of Meniere's disease therapy. Audiologic results, functional level score, and dizziness classification are reported for the preoperative period and for the 18- to 24-month postoperative period for all surgical patients. These data are also reported individually for each of the 3 surgical procedures. Early postoperative data and most recent follow-up data are presented if available. Surgical management of Meniere's disease is a safe and viable option for patients with medically refractory disease. C.