Vestibular neurectomy effective for severe Meniere disease

Vestibular neurectomy is an effective vertigo treatment in patients with severe Meniere disease, according to a study published online June 7 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

Agnieszka Jasińska-Nowacka, M.D., Ph.D., from the Medical University of Warsaw in Poland, and colleagues evaluated functional outcomes and balance compensation in patients with severe Meniere disease after vestibular neurectomy. The analysis included data from 20 patients with unilateral Meniere disease before and two years after vestibular neurectomy.

The researchers found that all patients reported a complete resolution of vertigo attacks after the vestibular neurectomy, while 95 percent of patients reported functional-level improvement according to a scale proposed by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

All patients showed clinical improvement in the Dizziness Handicap Inventory, with the average result decreasing from 81.7 to 16.4. There were no statistically significant differences between the sensory organization test results before and after vestibular neurectomy. There were significant correlations between a patient’s age and postoperative results of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory and posturography.

“Vestibular neurectomy is an effective vertigo treatment in patients with severe Meniere disease with no clinical improvement despite conservative treatment,” the authors write. “It results in subjective physical, functional, and emotional improvement, enabling patients to return to daily activities and work.”

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