Pneumatization and thickness of the petrous bone in patients with Meniere's disease. A histopathological study.

Histological evaluations were made of the degree of pneumatization and thickness of the petrous bone surrounding the vestibular aqueduct, and of the relationships of these parameters to the condition of the vestibular aqueduct in 27 temporal bones with idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops from individuals with Meniere's disease. The results were compared with those from the same parameters in 79 control temporal bones without endolymphatic hydrops from individuals who had no premortem history of otologic disease. Pneumatization of the temporal bones of patients with Meniere's disease was in most cases less than that of control temporal bones; this difference was statistically significant. Poor pneumatization of the temporal bones of individuals with Meniere's disease appeared to be closely associated with hypoplasia of the vestibular aqueduct, an anatomical feature of many individuals with Meniere's disease. However, no statistically significant difference could be found between the thickness of the petrous bone in the periaqueductal region in bones of patients with Meniere's disease and this parameter in control bones.