OBJECTIVE: To assess the qualitative and quantitative aspects of multifrequency tympanograms in patients with Ménière's disease. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study of adults. SETTING: University medical center. PATIENTS: Forty patients with Ménière's disease outside of episodes and 24 normal-hearing subjects with no otologic history. INTERVENTIONS: Resonance frequency sweep and tympanograms of admittance, conductance, and susceptance at 2 kHz and at resonance frequency were performed in each ear. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A qualitative assessment was performed to find reproducible and comparable tympanograms (Student's t test) as a prerequisite for quantitative assessment. Four measurement criteria were compared between the groups to establish a diagnostic test (chi Pearson test). A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Resonance frequency was decreased in Ménière's disease. Only conductance tympanograms at 2 kHz had a constant pattern. Width of conductance tympanograms at 2 kHz was increased in symptomatic Ménière's disease compared with normal ears. Using conductance width at 2 kHz as a diagnostic test with a threshold of 235 daPa, we found a statistically significant difference between symptomatic ears of patients with Ménière's disease and ears of normal subjects (p < 10). More than 95% of normal subjects' ears had a negative test; 56.5% of affected ears of patients with Ménière's disease and 45.8% of nonaffected ears of patients with Ménière's disease had a positive test. CONCLUSION: Width of conductance at 2 kHz seems to be a sensitive, simple diagnostic test in Ménière's disease. It would also be of great interest in studying Ménière's disease bilaterality.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the qualitative and quantitative aspects of multifrequency tympanograms in patients with Ménière's disease. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study of adults. SETTING: University medical center. PATIENTS: Forty patients with Ménière's disease outside of episodes and 24 normal-hearing subjects with no otologic history. INTERVENTIONS: Resonance frequency sweep and tympanograms of admittance, conductance, and susceptance at 2 kHz and at resonance frequency were performed in each ear. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A qualitative assessment was performed to find reproducible and comparable tympanograms (Student's t test) as a prerequisite for quantitative assessment. Four measurement criteria were compared between the groups to establish a diagnostic test (chi Pearson test). A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Resonance frequency was decreased in Ménière's disease. Only conductance tympanograms at 2 kHz had a constant pattern. Width of conductance tympanograms at 2 kHz was increased in symptomatic Ménière's disease compared with normal ears. Using conductance width at 2 kHz as a diagnostic test with a threshold of 235 daPa, we found a statistically significant difference between symptomatic ears of patients with Ménière's disease and ears of normal subjects (p < 10). More than 95% of normal subjects' ears had a negative test; 56.5% of affected ears of patients with Ménière's disease and 45.8% of nonaffected ears of patients with Ménière's disease had a positive test. CONCLUSION: Width of conductance at 2 kHz seems to be a sensitive, simple diagnostic test in Ménière's disease. It would also be of great interest in studying Ménière's disease bilaterality.
Authors: Emily Iacovou; Petros V Vlastarakos; Eleftherios Ferekidis; Thomas P Nikolopoulos Journal: Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg Date: 2012-01-06
Authors: Irene Gázquez; Antonia Moreno; Teresa Requena; Jeff Ohmen; Sofia Santos-Perez; Ismael Aran; Andres Soto-Varela; Herminio Pérez-Garrigues; Alicia López-Nevot; Angel Batuecas; Rick A Friedman; Miguel A López-Nevot; Jose A López-Escamez Journal: Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol Date: 2012-11-21 Impact factor: 2.503