Takeda T, Sawada S, Kakigi A, Saito H
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kochi Medical School, Japan.
Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 1997;528:80-4.
Lateral polytomography of the vestibular aqueduct by computed radiography was carried out in 30 normal subjects and 25 patients with Meniere's disease, 14 of whom had bilateral involvement. The vestibular aqueduct could be identified clearly not only in normal subjects but also in patients with Menière's disease. Normal vestibular aqueducts were funnel-shaped or tubular, and the width of the external aperture was 6.0 mm on average. In contrast, a hypoplastic vestibular aqueduct with a narrow external aperture was often observed in patients with Menière's disease. Especially, in affected ears of patients with unilateral Menière's disease, the external aperture was very narrow; its mean width was 2.2 mm. In these cases, the most common radiographic configuration of the vestibular aqueduct was filiform. Meanwhile bilateral Menière's disease had a relatively wide external aperture compared with that of unilateral Menière's disease, although a hypoplastic vestibular aqueduct was also observed in patients with bilateral Menière's disease. As to the distribution of radiographic configuration types, bilateral Menière's disease had almost the same distribution as in normal ears. From these results, it was concluded that a hypoplastic development of the vestibular aqueduct was based on the etiology of Menière's disease, but general factors as well as a hypoplastic vestibular aqueduct seem to be responsible for bilateral involvement.
采用计算机X线摄影术对30名正常受试者和25名梅尼埃病患者进行前庭导水管的侧位体层摄影，其中14名患者为双侧受累。不仅在正常受试者中，而且在梅尼埃病患者中都能清晰地识别出前庭导水管。正常的前庭导水管呈漏斗形或管状，外口平均宽度为6.0mm。相比之下，梅尼埃病患者常观察到外口狭窄的发育不全的前庭导水管。特别是，单侧梅尼埃病患者患侧耳朵的外口非常狭窄，平均宽度为2.2mm。在这些病例中，前庭导水管最常见的影像学形态为丝状。同时，双侧梅尼埃病患者的外口与单侧梅尼埃病患者相比相对较宽，尽管双侧梅尼埃病患者也观察到发育不全的前庭导水管。关于影像学形态类型的分布，双侧梅尼埃病与正常耳朵的分布几乎相同。从这些结果可以得出结论，前庭导水管发育不全是梅尼埃病病因的基础，但一般因素以及发育不全的前庭导水管似乎是双侧受累的原因。
