Triple semicircular canal plugging (TSCP) is comparable to labyrinthectomy for the control of vertigo with Meniere disease (MD) while better preserving hearing, according to a study published online April 10 in Laryngoscope.
Xiaofei Li, M.D., Ph.D., from Shandong University in Jinan, China, and colleagues compared the long-term efficacy of TSCP to that of labyrinthectomy in the treatment of advanced MD. The analysis included 116 MD patients (90 in the TSCP group and 26 in the labyrinthectomy group).
The researchers found that the control rate of vertigo in the labyrinthectomy group was 100 percent. After labyrinthectomy, all patients lost their auditory function (100 percent hearing loss rate). The two groups were similar with respect to vertigo control rate. In the TSCP group, the hearing loss rate was significantly lower than that seen in the labyrinthectomy group. In the TSCP group, the median time recovered from imbalance was 15 days compared with 21 days in the labyrinthectomy group. Functional scores were similar between the groups.
“Since MD was first described in 1861, several medical and surgical remedies have been offered to patients with MD over the past 160 years. The plethora of medical and surgical therapies signifies that no effective treatment is available for these patients,” the authors write. “Our results proved that TSCP is effective in controlling the progression of refractory MD.”
