CLASSIFICATION OF MENIERES-DISEASE

To create a rational treatment system for Meniere's disease, it is hel pful to divide Meniere's disease into five stages according to the sig ns, symptoms, pathology, and natural history by recalling what is know n for certain and what is probably true about Meniere's disease. It is known that Meniere's disease is attributable to endolymphatic hydrops , caused by a small, malfunctioning endolymphatic sac, abnormally plac ed since birth, and Meniere's disease is therefore a congenital disord er of the endolymphatic sac. It is probably true that there is often a n immune, viral, metabolic, or other insult to the inner ear, that dis turbs the balance between the cochlea, where endolymph is produced, an d the endolymphatic sac, where most of it is absorbed. Using this five -stage classification, it is possible to separate Meniere's disease in to the first three stages, for which different but reasonable treatmen ts are possible, and the last two stages, for which no treatments are effective.