Cochlear blood flow measurement in patients with Meniere's disease and other inner ear disorders

To identify an eventual vascular aetiology in different diseases with senso rineural hearing loss (SNHL), the cochlear blood flow (CoBF) was measured u sing laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) in 69 patients with M Meniere's disease (MD), 38 patients with progressive SNHL and 8 patients with sudden deafness . The mean CoBF amplitude at rest was 0.70 mV (SD 0.25) for patients with M D, 0.66 mV (SD 0.21) for patients with SNHL and 0.69 mV (SD 0.23) for those with sudden deafness. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups with respect to the CoBF amplitudes at rest or during t he Valsalva manoeuvre. There was a statistically significant correlation (r = -0.4, p < 0.05) between the hearing level and CoBF amplitude in the SNHL group only. It is concluded that the reduction in vascular flow may not be the main aetiological factor in Meniere's disease or sudden deafness. In S NHL the correlation of hearing level with the level of the LDF amplitude ca n be secondary to the progression of hearing loss.