title: Assessment of Meniere's disease from a radiological aspect - saccular otoconia as a cause of Meniere's disease?
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Significant reduced visualization of the reuniting duct (ductus reuniens; RD), saccular duct (SD) and endolymphatic sinus (ES) in Meniere's disease (MD) compared with normal control ears on three-dimensional (3D) CT imaging suggests the blockage of endolymphatic flow there with radiodense substances, which may be explained by dislodged otoconia from the saccule. These structures could be involved in the pathogenesis of MD.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to visualize and assess the RD, SD and ES in patients with MD using 3D CT.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two patients with a definite diagnose of unilateral MD, based on criteria proposed by the Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), were compared with contralateral ears and normal controls (26 ears) using 3D CT. The RD, SD and ES were scrutinized for patency on 3D CT images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MD ears showed loss of continuity of the RD, SD and ES based on evaluation of 3D CT images, and differed significantly from normal healthy control ears (p < 0.01).
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan. ent-yamane@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamane
authors.forename: Kishiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sunami
authors.forename: Hiroyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iguchi
authors.forename: Hiramori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imoto
authors.forename: Helge
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rask-Andersen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003053:Cochlear Duct / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004710:Endolymph / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010037:Otolithic Membrane / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012016:Reference Values; D012444:Saccule and Utricle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*