Practical 3DCT imaging of the vestibular aqueduct for Meniere's disease.
CONCLUSIONS
Radiographic visualization of the vestibular aqueduct (VA) from a lateral inside view was effective in assessing patients with Meniere's disease (MD). There were no VA shapes specific to MD on radiography, except for an obliterated VA. This technique could yield more accurate images and functional assessment of the VA for MD evaluation in a clinically useful and convenient manner, without requiring morphologic measurement.


OBJECTIVE
To visualize the detailed images of the VA using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) and discuss its clinical utility in assessing MD.


METHODS
The VAs in 13 healthy subjects and 25 MD patients, who were definitely diagnosed according to criteria described by the Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), were imaged from the medial and lateral sides using 3DCT and compared to conventional CT images.


RESULTS
Examination of the VA from both the lateral outside and inside views on 3DCT yielded more precise images than generated by conventional CT and could be useful to estimate the VA function. The estimated VA function in the MD ears was significantly abnormal compared to the function in healthy ears. An obliterated VA was characteristic of affected MD ears.
Department of Otolaryngology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine , Osaka , Japan.
Hideo
H
Yamane
Kazuo
K
Konishi
Hiramori
H
Sakamaoto
Hidefumi
H
Yamamoto
Naoki
N
Matsushita
Masahiro
M
Oishi
Hiroyoshi
H
Iguchi
Yuichi
Y
Inoue
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014723:Vestibular Aqueduct / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
CT image; CT window; endolymphatic duct and sac; endolymphatic hydrops; membranous labyrinth