Ménière's disease as a form of cranial polyganglionitis.

Although endolymphatic hydrops is generally considered to be the most prominent factor in the etiology and pathology of Ménière's disease, we have concluded that this condition more probably represents a polyganglionitis caused by the herpes simplex virus with secondary hydrops changes. The wide range of symptoms occurring in the Ménière's disease complex is illustrated in seven selected cases which support this conclusion. Vestibular nerve section can stabilize hearing and relieve episodic vertigo by removing the locus of viral infection and precluding recurrent activation.