Relationship of the cochlear aqueduct and inner ear pressure in Meniere's disease and in a normal population

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the dimensions of cochlea r aqueduct radiologically in patients with Meniere's disease and in normal subjects, and to correlate these findings with normal and low static acoust ic compliance (SAC) (high and normal perilymphatic pressure) to see whether the dimensions of the cochlear aqueduct play any role in the perilymphatic pressure in normal individuals; and patients with Meniere's disease. Study Design: Prospective double-blind study. Setting: The study was conducted at Hacettepe University Medical Faculty, a tertiary care center. Patients: Forty patients with Meniere's disease with bilateral involvement, diagnosed by vertigo attacks, fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus, fullness in the ear, and cochlear sensitivity constituted the patient group. Forty healthy individuals with no otolaryngologic symptoms constituted the contro l group. Interventions: All individuals underwent SAC measurement in terms of equiva lent volume in milliliters, based on two volume measurements. To measure th e dimensions of the cochlear aqueduct, high-resolution computed tomography of the temporal bone in the axial plane was performed. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the width of the cochlear aqueduct between patients with Meniere's disease and normal su bjects. When SAC measurements were also taken into account, there was no di fference in cochlear aqueduct dimensions between individuals with normal an d low SAC Values in the two groups. Conclusion: The dimensions of cochlear aqueduct are not significantly diffe rent in Meniere's disease patients and normal individuals. Also, the cochle ar aqueduct does not appear to play a significant role in normal and low SA C values in the two groups of individuals.