FRIDAY, March 7, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with Meniere disease (MD), the internal auditory canal (IAC) fundus barrier may be damaged, according to a study published in the March issue of _Clinical Otolaryngology_.
Weidong Zhang, from the Henan Provincial People's Hospital & Zhengzhou University People's Hospital in China, and colleagues enrolled 50 patients diagnosed with unilateral definite MD to examine the potential correlation between the signal intensity ratio (SIR) at the IAC fundus and hearing impairment. Four hours after intravenous administration of gadobutrol, three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging (3D-FLAIR MRI) was conducted to determine the SIR of the bilateral IAC fundus. The difference in the SIR of the IAC fundus was examined between the affected and unaffected sides, and its correlation with low-, middle, and high-tone hearing thresholds was assessed. In addition, on the affected side, correlation analysis was conducted between the degree of endolymphatic hydrops in the vestibule and cochlea and the SIR.
3D-FLAIR MRI could clearly visualize the degree of endolymphatic hydrops in MD. The researchers found that the SIR was significantly higher on the affected side than the unaffected side. A positive correlation was seen between the SIR at the affected side and low-, middle-, and high-tone hearing thresholds; no significant correlation was seen between the SIR with cochlear or vestibular hydrops.
"The disruption of the internal auditory barrier may be a contributing factor to hearing loss in MD," the authors write.
[Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/coa.14242)