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Meniere's disease and otosclerosis (without oval window involvement)
Author(s) -
Cole James M.,
Funkhouser George
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-197206000-00011
Subject(s) - otosclerosis , hearing loss , vertigo , medicine , audiology , sensorineural hearing loss , meniere's disease , nausea , audiogram , vomiting , surgery
It is our opinion that otosclerosis is a not infrequent cause of sensorineural hearing loss starting between the late teens and early 60's and, if suspected, that polytome X‐rays of the labyrinth can give valuable confirmatory evidence. We have approximately 250 polytome X‐ray examinations in our clinic which show evidence of otosclerosis with pure or predominant sensori‐neural hearing loss. We have been particularly interested in a group of 25 patients with signs and symptoms of Méniére's disease with polytome X‐ray evidence of otosclerosis of the labyrinthine capsule. They all have had typical acute rotary vertigo with nausea and vomiting, fluctuating sensori‐neural hearing loss of the end‐organ type,. and all have been studied extensively audiometrically. All have at least some degree of bilateral involvement. Seven have siblings either with Méniére's disease or adult onset sensori‐neural hearing loss of the end‐organ type. We feel it is of considerable practical importance to identify Méniére's disease when it occurs in association with labyrinthine capsule otosclerosis, because we have a strong impression that sodium fluoride in 60 mg. per day doses for one to two years tends to arrest progression of the hearing loss and to reduce or eliminate recurring bouts of acute vertigo. Occasionally, when hydrops is a factor in the sensori‐neural hearing loss, we have seen distinct hearing improvement after starting sodium fluoride treatment. (Two case reports are presented in the complete paper with audiograms and medial and lateral oblique polytome views of the labyrinth showing otosclerosis.) When otosclerosis and Méniére's disease are associated there usually seems to be bilateral involvement. These constitute about 10 percent of our cases of Méniére's disease and most patients with unilateral involvement show no X‐ray evidence of otosclerosis. The majority of patients having signs and symptoms of bilateral Méniére's disease that we have studied, have had polytome X‐ray evidence of otosclerosis. We do not feel that we have conclusively proven an association between the observed bilateral Méniére's disease and the suspected labyrinthine otosclerosis. The final proof will depend on post mortem histo‐pathologic study of these temporal bones, and we hope that this material will be available in the future.