Nonvisualization of the endolymphatic duct, sac common in Meniere disease

Nonvisualization of the endolymphatic duct (ED) and sac (ES) system is significantly associated with Meniere disease (MD), according to a study published online Aug. 31 in Frontiers in Neurology.

Lisa M.H. de Pont, from Haga Teaching Hospital in the Hague, Netherlands, and colleagues investigated whether nonvisualization of the ED-ES system is a discriminative radiological feature for MD and whether different angular trajectories of the ED-ES system in MD are associated with distinguishable clinical features. The analysis included 301 patients (187 definite MD and 114 other vertigo-associated pathologies) who underwent four-hour-delayed three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging.

The researchers found that nonvisualization of the ED-ES system was more common in definite MD patients versus other vertigo-associated pathologies. The MD-140 subtype showed a longer history of vertigo, a higher prevalence of bilateral clinical disease, and a trend toward a male preponderance among definite MD patients. There were no significant differences observed between angular trajectory of the vestibular aqueduct subgroups and the presence or severity of auditory symptoms or the frequency of vertigo attacks.

"Prospective studies are needed to further investigate the radiological appearance of the ED-ES system in correlation with cochleovestibular symptoms and other clinical parameters, which could have a significant impact on our understanding of the disease, as well as the diagnosis and counseling of MD patients," the authors write.

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