Introduction: Meniere's disease is a common chronic inner ear disease. Because the definitive pathogenesis is still unknown, there is currently no cure for this disorder. Semicircular canal plugging (SCP), first used to treat patients with intractable benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, has since been applied to patients with intractable peripheral vertigo. This study was aimed to explore the long-term efficacy of triple semicircular canal plugging (TSCP) in the treatment of intractable Meniere's disease (MD) so as to provide a new method in the framework of treatment with MD.
Methods: Three hundred and sixty-one unilateral MD patients, who were treated with TSCP in our hospital between Dec. 2010 and Sep. 2016, were recruited in this study for retrospective analysis. Vertigo control and auditory function were monitored during a period of two-year follow-up. Seventy three patients who were subjected to intratympanic gentamicin were selected as a control group. Pure tone audiometry, caloric test, vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) were performed in two-year follow-up.
Results: The total control rate of vertigo in TSCP group was 97.8% (353/361) in the two-year follow-up, with complete control rate of 80.3% (290/361) and substantial control rate of 17.5% (63/361). The rate of hearing loss was 26.3% (95/361). The total control rate of vertigo in intratympanic gentamicin group was 83.6% (61/73), with complete control rate of 63.0% (46/73) and substantial control rate of 20.5% (15/73). The rate of hearing loss was 24.7% (18/73). The vertigo control rate of TSCP was significantly higher than that of chemical labyrinthectomy(χ2 = 24.798, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference of hearing loss rate between two groups. (χ2 = 0.087, p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Triple semicircular canal plugging (TSCP), which can reduce vertiginous symptoms in patients with intractable Meniere's disease (MD), represents an effective therapy for this disorder. It might become a new important method in the framework of treatment with MD.
Keywords: Meniere’s disease; Semicircular canal plugging; Vertigo.