The vestibular aqueduct in patients with Menière's disease. A tomographic and clinical investigation.

Abstract

The vestibular aqueduct was identified on tomograms in all healthy subjects. In patients with severe Meniere's disease the visibility was affected. The aqueduct was visible in 65% of the non-diseased ears and in 59% of the diseased ears of patients with unilateral Meniere's disease, whereas the corresponding figure for bilaterally diseased ears was only 53%. Longstanding disease can impair the visibility, while it does not seem to be affected by advanced age per se No obvious relationship was found between the visibility on tomograms and the results of hearing tests and caloric tests. The vestibular aqueduct is shorter in patients with Meniere's disease than in healthy subjects. The pneumatization of the pyramid, which varies in normal individuals as well as in patients with Meniere's disease, influences the length of the aqueduct. The longest aqueducts in healthy subjects were found in those with large cell pneumatization in the vicinity of the aqueduct. Most patients with Meniere's disease lacked pneuma...