DPOAES IN PATIENTS WITH DEFINITE MÉNIÈRE’S DISEASE

Al-Saif S (1), AbdelTawwab MM (2).

Consultant of ORL, KFMMC Hospital, Dhahran, KSA, Egypt (1); Lecturer of Audiology, ENT Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, now Audiological Physician in KFMMC Hospital, Egypt (2).

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAEs) across selected frequencies in patients with definite Ménière’s disease (DMD) and to compare them with that of the contra-lateral ears as well as the normal control group.

Materials and methods: This prospective study consisted of 35 consenting patients with DMD, their age ranged from 19 to 58 years, 16 males and 19 females as a study group and 31 subjects 15 females and 16 males, their age ranged from 21 to 56 years with normal hearing and no previous history of vestibular system affection as a control group. They were subjected to pure tone audiometry and DPOAEs measurements.

Results: In this study, female to male preponderance was 1.18: 1 for DMD. Bilateral DMD was observed in 34.28 % of the study group. The incidence and mean emission amplitude across the DPOAEs measured frequencies in the affected ears was significantly lowers than that of both the non-affected ears in unilateral DMD and control group. Also it was noticed that as the hearing loss increases in patients with DMD the DPOAEs amplitude decreases.

Discussion and Conclusion:  DPOAEs in patients with DMD differ from those in the contra-lateral ears as well as from that of the control group. Reduction in the emission amplitude of DPOAEs in the affected ears was significant in comparison with that of the non-affected ears in unilateral DMD and that of the control group. This differences could be attributed to the patho-physiologic mechanism and hearing loss encountered in patients with DMD.

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