title: Investigation of the external aperture of the vestibular aqueduct in Menière's disease by three-dimensional image analysis.
abstract: The width of the external aperture of the vestibular aqueduct was measured in patients with Meniere's disease using three-dimensional images. The width of the aperture on the affected side was significantly smaller compared with that in normal ears or ears with chronic otitis media. Also, the width of the aperture on the opposite (healthy) side in unilateral Meniere's disease was significantly smaller than in these two other groups. These findings suggest that the aqueduct is incompletely developed in patients with Meniere's disease and that this may be related to the pathogenesis of this condition. Also, in unilateral Meniere's disease the opposite ear runs a high risk of eventually developing the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Kobe City General Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mizukami
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohmura
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014723:Vestibular Aqueduct / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*