Abstract
Objectives: The guidelines for Meniere's disease recommended from the Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) in 1995 have been used for reporting diagnosis and treatment results of Meniere's disease. However, these guidelines are sometimes not appropriate for management and reporting for some patients clinically considered as Meniere's disease. But there are few publications about their efficacy and significance. The objective of this study is to review and analyze Meniere's disease and to evaluate the significance of AAO-HNS guidelines.
Methods: The patients with Meniere symptoms who visited our dizziness clinic between 1994 and 2001 were included in this study. The medical records were reviewed retrospectively. The characteristics of dizziness, pure-tone audiometry (PTA), VFT, and treatment results were carefully analyzed according to AAO-HNS guidelines.
Results: Of 550 patients with vertiginous symptoms, 198 patients were in the criteria of Meniere's disease. They were classified to 75 (37.9%) of the definite, 120 (60.6%) of the possible, and only 3 (1.5%) of the probable. In the definite group, the mean threshold of PTA was 54.3 dB and canal paresis (CP) was shown in 33 patients (44%) with a mean CP of 53.6%, and peak and descending types of the PTA were dominant (62%). In the possible group, the mean threshold of PTA was 19.4 dB and CP was found in 30 patients (25%) with a mean CP of 50.1%.
Conclusion: Nevertheless, AAO-HNS guidelines for Meniere's disease are helpful for communication between doctors; they should be considered to have limitation for the diagnosis and treatment in clinical practices.