Symposium on meniere's disease.: I. Meniere's disease: Results of a two and one‐half‐year study of etiology, natural history and results of treatment

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Abstract
The results of a two and one‐half year study of 120 patients with Ménière's disease has revealed multiple but specific etiology for 36 percent of the patients: 1. allergy, 14 percent; 2. congenital or acquired syphilis, seven percent; 3. adrenal pituitary insufficiency, six percent; 4. myxedema, three percent; 5. stenosis of the internal auditory canal, three percent; and 6. trauma, acoustic or physical, three percent.Emotional or psychiatric factors are not involved in etiology of this disease. The vestibular and cochlear aqueduct on both temporal bones of patients with Ménière's disease could not be visualized in a significantly greater number than a normal control group suggesting an anatomic predisposition to the development of Ménière's disease. Preliminary immunologic viral investigation suggests the possibility of viral etiology in the remaining group considered idiopathic. Medical treatment with vasodilators is effective in many cases. The endolymphatic subarachnoid shunt operation was the treatment of choice for patients unresponsive to medical treatment and it is effective in controlling symptoms in 62 percent of cases. It is hoped that this study will encourage other investigators to criticize and help intensify our efforts to solve the questions remaining about Ménière's disease.

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