Key points:
Menière’s disease is characterized by episodic vertigo associated with
fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus, aural fullness and endolymphatic
hydrops.
- A loss of neural structures was proposed in Menière’s disease, but
also a swelling of VIIth and
VIIIth cranial nerves compared to normal controls
was shown.
- The aim of this observational study was to investigate potential
differences in these two nerves in patients with Menière´s disease,
also considering the duration of the disease.
- The VIIth and VIIIth cranial
nerves were measured within the cerebellopontine angle and the
branches in their course through the internal auditory canal.
- Furthermore different MRI sequences (two CISS- and two IR-sequences)
with different spatial resolution and slice thickness were used for
morphometric analysis.