Gentamicin treatment resulted in a significant reduction of the score for vertigo complaints and the score for perceived aural fullness. A small increase in hearing loss (average 8 dB) was measured in the gentamicin group.

No abstract

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) were measured in 22 unilateral Menière patients with monaural and binaural stimulation with 250 and 500 Hz tone bursts. For all measurement situations significantly lower VEMP amplitudes were on average measured at the affected side compared to the unaffected side. Unilateral Menière patients have, in contrast to normal subjects, asymmetric VEMPs, indicating a permanently affected vestibular (most likely otolith) system at the side of hearing loss. The diagnostic value of VEMP amplitude asymmetry measurement in individual patients is low, because of the large overlap of the VEMP amplitude asymmetry range for unilateral Menière patients with that for normal subjects.

Abnormal latency delays for CHAMP are delays shorter than 2 ms. Earlier results with CHAMP should be reconsidered using this criterion, instead of 0.3 ms.

To investigate the effect of an acute endolymphatic hydrops on the functioning of the vestibular system a hydrops was created by microinjection of artificial endolymph through the basilar membrane into scala media in 10 guinea pigs. To control for the effect of perforation of the basilar membrane, the same procedure was performed in 9 other guinea pigs, but without injection of endolymph. Contralateral ears served as control ears. Vestibular evoked potentials, evoked by vertical acceleration pulses applied to the guinea pig's head, were measured in all ears before, immediately after, and 2, 4, and 5 hours after perforation/injection. Acute endolymphatic hydrops did not affect the amplitude of the VsEP immediately after injection. After 4 to 5 hours VsEP was significantly reduced in both hydrops and perforated-only ears, compared to control ears. However, no significant difference was found between VsEP of the hydrops ears and perforated-only ears. Reduction of VsEP is not caused by a direct hydromechanical effect on the vestibular system, but possibly by leakage of perilymph through the perforation hole, supporting the membrane rupture theory for Menière-attacks.