Significance of endolymphatic sac surgery with and/or without simultaneous cochlea implant surgery in respect of vertigo control and speech perception in patients with Menière's disease.

Purpose: The focus on treating patients with Menière's Disease (MD) lies on the reduction of vertigo attacks and the preservation of sensory function. Endolympathic hydrops is considered as an epiphenomenon in MD, which can potentially be altered by endolymphatic sac surgery (ESS). Purpose of the study was to investigate the influences on vertigo control through manipulation of the perilymphatic system with or without ESS.

Methods: Retrospective data analysis of 86 consecutive patients with MD according to current diagnostic criteria after endolymphatic sac surgery alone (ESS; n = 45), cochlear implantation (CI) alone (CI; n = 12), and ESS with CI (ESS + CI; n = 29), treated at a tertiary referral center.

Main Outcome Measures: vertigo control, speech perception pre- and postoperatively.

Results: Gender, side, and preoperative treatment were similar in all groups. Age was younger in the ESS-group with 56.2 ± 13.0 years (CI = 64.2 ± 11.4 years; ESS + CI = 63.1 ± 9.7 years). Definitive MD was present in all the CI, in 79.3% of the ESS + CI and in 59.6% of the ESS-patients. Likewise, vertigo control rate was 100% in the CI, 89.7% in the ESS + CI and 66.0% in the ESS-group.

Conclusions: Vertigo control was improved in all three groups, however, superior in groups treated with CI, potentially contributed by the manipulation of both the endo- and perilymphatic systems. A more systematic characterization of the patients with larger case numbers and documentation of follow up data would be needed to evaluate a clinical effect more properly.