title: Does 'cochlear Ménière's disease' exist? An electrocochleographic and audiometric study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  According to current diagnostic criteria, patients exhibiting only cochlear symptoms without vertigo cannot be diagnosed with Ménière's disease (MD). The recently reported Ménière's Disease Index (MDI) combines audiometric and electrocochleographic parameters in a multidimensional measure correlating with the clinical degrees of MD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one patients with hearing loss, tinnitus and aural fullness, but without vertigo, underwent transtympanic electrocochleography. Based on the previously reported formula, the MDI value for every patient was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean MDI value was 5.7 on a scale from 0 (mean value of non-MD patients) to 10 (mean value of definite MD patients).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We can thus hypothesize that, based on audiometry and electrocochleography, 'cochlear MD' patients may represent a separate clinical entity with Ménière-like pathophysiology or underlying endolymphatic hydrops.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University of Antwerp, STATUA (University of Antwerp Center of Statistics), Antwerp, Belgium. gerdclaes@telenet.be
authors.forename: Gerd M E
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Claes
authors.forename: Claudia F J
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: De Valck
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van de Heyning
authors.forename: Floris L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Wuyts
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001299:Audiometry; D001300:Audiometry, Evoked Response; D015834:Cochlear Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018159:Endolymphatic Hydrops / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology