Endolymphatic Duct Blockage A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Novel Surgical Technique for Ménière’s Disease Treatment

ObjectivesTo compare the effectiveness of the endolymphatic duct blockage (EDB) and the endolymphatic sac decompression (ESD) to control Meniere’s disease symptoms and to evaluate their effect on hearing level.Study DesignProspective nonblinded randomized study.SettingTertiary medical center.Subjects and MethodsFifty-seven patients affected by a refractory Meniere’s disease were included out of which 22 underwent an ESD and 35 underwent an EDB. Five periods of follow-up were considered: 0 to 1 week, 1 week to 6 months, 6 to 12 months, 12 to 18 months, and 18 to 24 months. Mean outcome measurements consisted of vertigo control, tinnitus, aural fullness, instability, and hearing level. Hearing level was evaluated using pure-tone average (PTA) and speech discrimination score (SDS).ResultsThere was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the number of vertigo spells per months preoperatively (P = .153). Twenty-four months postoperatively, 96.5% of the EDB group had achieved a complete control of ver...