Study compares vestibular endolymphatic hydrops grading methods in Meniere disease

In a study published online April 17 in the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, different grading methods for vestibular endolymphatic hydrops (EH) and the severity of hearing loss are compared in Meniere disease (MD).

Zhihao Han, from the Beijing Friendship Hospital, and colleagues compared correlations between different grading methods of vestibular EH and the severity of hearing loss in MD in a retrospective study of 30 patients with MD. Patients underwent inner-ear magnetic resonance gadolinium-enhanced imaging using three-dimensional-real inversion recovery sequences and pure-tone audiometry. EH levels were evaluated according to classification methods outlined by Nakashima et al (M1), Fang et al (M2), Barath et al (M3), Liu et al (M4), and Bernaerts et al (M5).

The researchers found that compared with M1, interobserver consistency was superior for M2 to M5. A significant correlation was seen for the EH grading based on M4 and the average hearing thresholds at low-mid, high, and full frequencies and clinical stages. Correlations with some parameters were seen for M1, M2, M3, and M5. In terms of diagnostic efficiency for MD, M5 significantly outperformed M1, M2, M3, and M4 in a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

"These findings will assist clinicians in selecting an appropriate approach for the specific assessment of vestibular EH in MD," the authors write.

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