Clinical Investigation of the Prevention of Ménierè's Disease

Abstract

Significant somatic conditions under which Ménierè's disease develops were discussed based on clinical observation of seven vertiginous patients (orthostatic disregulation, 4; cervical vertigo, 2; and combination of both, 1) whose onset of Ménière's disease was late in their life, and measures to prevent idiopathic onset or periodic attacks were considered.
It was demonstrated statistically that any of the following conditions have a sure prospect of Ménière's disease: one was the ipsidirectional appearance of both vestibular asymmetry (expressed as direction of the induced horizontal nystagmus on ENG) and vegetative asymmetry (expressed as direction to the side with wider responded amplitude on bi-auricular plethysmography) iduced by keeping the patient erect after resting in the supine position for 20 minutes as in Schellong's test, and the other was the labyrinthine type of the cervical threshold shift appearing on pure tone audiometry by keeping the same head position as in the cervical nystagmus.
The improvement in the above-mentioned significant conditions, the refore, may prevent the onset or expected next attack of Ménierè's disease and appropriate treatment for them may correct orthostatic disregulation and cervical vertigo.