The Surgical Procedures and Evaluation of Two Modifications of Endolymphatic Sac Surgery: The Epidural Shunt and Vein Graft Drainage

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Abstract
A method of ELS surgery was originally described in 1926 by George Portmann. However, the risk of adhesive closure of an incision on the lateral wall of the ELS in his technique has been a matter of dispute ever since. A number of modifications have been advocated in order to improve the patency of the ELS, such as Yamakawa-Naito's subarachnoid shunt (1954), House's endolymphatic-subarachnoid shunt (1962), Shea's Teflon film drainage of the sac (1966), the T-tube shunt of Paparella & Hanson (1976), the valve implant by Arenberg (1979), the epidural drainage by an L-shaped incision in the lateral wall of the sac with insertion of gelatin film, developed by Kitahara & Futaki (1974), and vein graft drainage of the ELS by Futaki & Nomura (1988). During the period July 1980 to February 1986, 142 patients with endolymphatic hydrops were followed postoperatively according to the AAO-HNS (1985) guidelines. Of these 142 cases, 122 patients were operated on by Kitahara & Futaki's procedure and 20 by the vein graft drainage procedure. The incidence of vertigo was cured in over 90% of the cases and hearing impairment was improved in over 30%. In this paper, the surgical procedures are described in detail, using illustrations.