[Ultrastructure of the vestibular apparatus in patients with Meniere's disease].

The vestibular labyrinth of eight patients with Menière's disease obtained by translabyrinthine vestibular neurectomy or transtympanal labyrinthectomy was studied with the light microscope and transmission electron microscope. Previous invasive therapy was transtympanal application of gentamicin in one patient and endolymphatic sac surgery in two patients. Some of the pathological findings were unspecific, e.g. mucoid degeneration of the subepithelial spaces, fibrous long spacing collagen and high amount of lipofuscin in different cell types. Cuticular laminated structures were seen in some of the specimen. A most interesting finding was the discrepancy of large numbers of sub- and intraepithelial nerve fibers and a significant degeneration of vestibular sensory cells with vacuoles and filament bundles. This points out the importance of combining labyrinthectomy and vestibular neurectomy in late stages of unilateral Menière's disease.