Noninvasive perilymphatic pressure measurement in patients with Ménière's disease and patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Objective: Inner ear disorders are proposed to be affected by changes in inner ear hydrostatic pressure. In humans, the perilymphatic hydrostatic pressure can be assessed in a noninvasive way with the MMS-10 Tympanic Displacement Analyser. In this study, measurements were performed in patients with Ménière's disease and patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL), and the results were compared with those of normal hearing ears. The measurement technique has been evaluated as a possible additional diagnostic tool for Ménière's disease or ISSHL.

Study design: The hydrostatic perilymphatic pressure was measured noninvasively with the MMS-10 Tympanic Displacement Analyser.

Setting: Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University Hospital.

Patients: Seventy-seven patients with Ménière's disease, 28 patients with ISSHL, and 50 normal hearing subjects.

Intervention: Diagnostic.

Main outcome measure: Significant differences of perilymphatic pressure measurement results, represented by the measurement parameters Vi and Vm, in affected, nonaffected, and normal hearing ears.

Results: On average, the measurement results showed no significant differences between affected (by Ménière's disease or ISSHL), nonaffected, and normal hearing ears.

Conclusions: In affected ears, perilymphatic pressure measured noninvasively did not differ significantly from the pressure in nonaffected and normal hearing ears. The tympanic membrane displacement technique cannot be considered an additional tool to confirm or reject the diagnosis of Ménière's disease or ISSHL.