The clinical characteristics and anatomical variations in patients with intractable unilateral Meniere's Disease with and without migraine

Case report: MRI changes of the inner ear in an MD patient with suspected immune dysfunction

Objectives

The primary objective of this study was to present the progressive changes from labyrinthitis to endolymphatic hydrops (EH) demonstrated in the inner ear MRI of a patient with MD and suspected immune dysfunction.

Patient

This 31-year-old male was diagnosed with MD and suspected autoimmune diseases.

Interventions

Immunosuppressants and biological agents.

Main outcomes measures

Inner ear MRI images.

Results

Changes in the patient's progress revealed that inner ear immune and inflammatory changes might induce EH, which may eventually turn into MD.

Conclusion

This case is the first documented case of MRI revealing progressive changes from inflammatory response to endolymphatic hydrops in the inner ear. It shows the correlation between MD and inflammation visually. It is of great significance to reveal the pathogenesis of MD to further assist in the guidance of treatment decision making.

Saccular functions differ for Meniere's disease with and without coexisting headaches

Objectives

To elucidate the differences between the cases of Meniere's disease (MD) with and without coexisting headaches, especially migraine. The clinical characteristics and vestibular functions are compared.

Subjects

Fifteen patients with definite unilateral MD without headaches (MD/H-; 10 males and 5 females; mean age of 55.8 years), and 20 patients with definite unilateral MD with headaches (MD/H+; 3 males and 17 females; mean age of 54.4 years; 15 cases of migraine without aura and 5 cases of suspected migraine or tension-type headache) were enrolled.

Methods

The medical records, caloric test results, and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) of the patients were reviewed. A monothermal caloric test by injection of cold water was performed, and canal paresis was assessed. cVEMP was recorded using 500 Hz short tone bursts, and the asymmetry ratio using the corrected amplitude of p13-n23 was determined.

Results

The patients in the MD/H- group were predominantly male, whereas more female patients were seen in MD/H+ group (p = 0.004). In the MD/H+ group, the frequency of vertigo and the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) values were significantly higher than those in the MD/H- group (p = 0.045, <0.001, respectively). There was no statistical difference in the ages, duration of illness, or the hearing levels between both groups. The caloric testing results were abnormal for 10 of the 13 MD/H- cases, and 14 of the 16 MD/H+ cases, which revealed no significant difference between both groups. The cVEMP results revealed positive saccular dysfunction based on the asymmetry ratio of 4 of the 15 MD/H- cases, and 14 of the 20 MD/H+ cases; it was significantly more prevalent in the MD/H+ group than in the MD/H- group (p = 0.018). Multivariate analysis of sex, frequency of vertigo, DHI, and cVEMP results showed significant differences only in the cVEMP results (p = 0.049).

Conclusion

The present study revealed differences in patients with MD depending on the presence or absence of headaches. MD without headaches showed a significant male preponderance. MD with coexisting headaches was more associated with severe saccular dysfunctions than MD without headaches. Concomitant headache may affect the manifestations of the vestibular function, especially in the sacculus, in MD cases.

Association Between Meniere Disease and Migraine

Importance

A connection between Meniere disease (MD) and migraine has been proposed, but the temporal association remains unknown.

Objective

To examine the bidirectional association of MD with migraine.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This case-control study included participants 40 years or older from the Korean National Health Insurance Service Health Screening Cohort from 2002 to 2015.

Main Outcomes and Measures

A total of 6919 patients with MD were matched with 27 676 control participants without MD for age, sex, income, region of residence, and index date. The incidence of migraine was analyzed in the MD and matched groups using a stratified Cox proportional hazard regression model. In addition, 35 889 patients with migraine were matched with 71 778 control participants without migraine. The incidence of MD was analyzed using a stratified Cox proportional hazard regression model.

Results

Of 142 262 total participants, 94 611 (66.5%) were women. Migraine occurred in 695 of 6919 patients with MD (10.0%) and 970 of 27 676 matched control participants (3.5%). The MD group demonstrated a 2.22-fold higher risk of migraine than the matched control group (95% CI, 1.99-2.49). Meniere disease was present in 1098 of 35 889 patients with migraine (3.1%) and 781 of 71 778 matched control participants (1.1%). The migraine group had a 1.95-fold higher risk of MD than the matched control group (95% CI, 1.77-2.15).

Conclusions and Relevance

The results of this case-control study suggest that patients with MD had a greater risk of migraine occurrence. Furthermore, patients with migraine had a higher risk of MD. Based on the bidirectional association, therapeutics for migraine could potentially be applied to MD and vice versa.

Non-contrast MRI of Inner Ear Detected Differences of Endolymphatic Drainage System Between Vestibular Migraine and Unilateral Ménière's Disease

Objective

We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of some anatomical variables with regard to endolymphatic sac (ES) and duct (ED), measured by non-contrast three-dimensional sampling perfection with application-optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolutions (3D-SPACE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in differentiating vestibular migraine (VM) from unilateral Ménière's disease (MD).

Methods

In this study, 81 patients with VM, 97 patients with unilateral MD, and 50 control subjects were enrolled. The MRI-visualized parameters, such as the distance between the vertical part of the posterior semicircular canal and the posterior fossa (MRI-PP distance) and visibility of vestibular aqueduct (MRI-VA), were measured bilaterally. The diagnostic value of the MRI-PP distance and MRI-VA visibility for differentiating VM from unilateral MD was examined.

Results

(1) Compared with the VM patients, patients with unilateral MD exhibited shorter MRI-PP distance and poorer MRI-VA visibility. No differences in the MRI-PP distance and MRI-VA visibility were detected between patients with VM and control subjects. (2) No significant interaural difference in the MRI-PP distance and MRI-VA visibility was observed in patients with VM and those with unilateral MD, respectively. (3) Area under the curve (AUC) showed a low diagnostic value for the MRI-PP distance and MRI-VA visibility, respectively, in differentiating between the VM and unilateral MD.

Conclusions

Based on non-enhanced MRI-visualized measurement, anatomical variables with regard to the endolymphatic drainage system differed significantly between the patients with VM and those with unilateral MD. Further investigations are needed to improve the diagnostic value of these indices in differentiating VM from unilateral MD.