title: Longitudinal study of 29 patients with Meniere's disease with follow-up of 10 years or more (In commemoration of Professor Emeritus Isamu Watanabe).
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  A final incidence of bilateral involvement was 20.7%. Episodic spells of vertigo were completely controlled in 23 of 29 patients, while 11 of 29 patients demonstrated over 70 dB hearing loss.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the clinical course of 29 patients with Meniere's disease during follow-up of 10 years or more.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 29 patients with a mean follow-up of 18.3 years. The hearing level was measured by the pure tone average (PTA) of four frequencies at the initial and the final examination, and it was classified into four categories according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Society (AAO-HNS) criteria. The control of vertigo was evaluated by the modified AAO-HNS criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At enrolment two patients had bilateral involvement. In the period of follow-up, bilateral involvement emerged in four more patients. The hearing levels at the final examinations were as follows: 3 patients, <25 dB; 6 patients, 26-40 dB; 9 patients, 41-70 dB; and 11 patients, >70 dB. The control of vertigo according to the modified AAO-HNS guideline was class A in 23 patients, class B in 2 patients, and class C in 1 patient; the remaining 3 patients could not be evaluated.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.
authors: Takuro
authors: T
authors: Sumi
authors: Isamu
authors: I
authors: Watanabe
authors: Atsunobu
authors: A
authors: Tsunoda
authors: Ayako
authors: A
authors: Nishio
authors: Atsushi
authors: A
authors: Komatsuzaki
authors: Ken
authors: K
authors: Kitamura
mesh_terms: D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors