A New Treatment for Meniere's Disease!

I read with interest an MSNBC article that describes a brand new surgical treatment for Meniere's Disease, a debilitating disorder in which a patient suffers spinning attacks that last for hours to days. The treatment is an electrical device surgically implanted into the vestibular system of the ear, much like a cochlear implant for deaf individuals.

The device, called "UW/Nucleus Vestibular Implant," is surgically installed behind the affected ear with a small wire threaded into the labyrinth system.

In a rough manner of speaking, this new device restores balance by sending electrical impulses to electrodes implanted in the bony ear, disrupting a vertigo attack when it occurs. Consider it like a defibrillator for patients prone to ventricular tachycardia.

It does NOT cure Meniere's... it just allows a vertigo attack to be quickly aborted before it gets bad.

It is currently undergoing clinical trials at the University of Washington under direction of Dr. Jay Rubinstein and Dr. James Phillips.

Read more about this innovative treatment on MSNBC here.

New Webpage on Dizziness

A new webpage describing dizziness and its various causes has been created. Though our office does not consider itself "dizzy experts," and is unable to provide the comprehensive evaluation and treatment of this problem other than those disorders due to the ear or allergies, we are often able to at least point patients in the right direction even if in the end we are unable to provide relief.

Intra-Tympanic Steroid Injections Offered at Fauquier ENT

Intra-tympanic steroid injections are offered at Fauquier ENT. This treatment modality is used in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss that responds minimally or not at all to systemic steroids (ie, prednisone). This treatment may be used without systemic steroids trial if there are contraindications to systemic steroid use such as intestinal ulcers and diabetes. The downside is that this treatment works best only if given within the first 36 days after the hearing loss occurs.

Intra-tympanic steroid injections have also been found to potentially help certain patients with tinnitus.

Watch video of this being performed here or watch below.

References
• Intratympanic corticosteroids for Meniere's disease and vertigo. Otolarngol Clin N Am. 37:955-972. 2004 Link
• Intratympanic perfusion for the treatment of tinnitus. Otolaryngol Clin N Am. 37:991-1000. 2004 Link
• Intratympanic steroids for sensorineural hearing loss. Otolaryngol Clin N Am. 1061-1074. 2004 Link
• Intratympanic Dexamethasone for sudden sensorineural hearing loss after failure of systemic therapy. Laryngoscope. 117:3-15. 2007. Link
• Intratympanic steroid injection for treatment of idiopathic sudden hearing loss. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 133:251-59. Link
• Clinical efficacy of initial intratympanic steroid treatment on sudden sensorineural hearing loss with diabetes. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 141:572-578. Link
• Hearing outcomes of daily intratympanic dexamethasone alone as a primary treatment modality for ISSHL. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 141:579-583. Link