Vascularity of Endolymphatic Sac in Meniere's Disease

Abstract

The vascularity of the endolymphatic sac (ES) in the vestibular aqueduct (VA) and of periaqueductal bony channels was studied in 18 temporal bones from patients with Meniere's disease and in the same number of control bones with no endolymphatic hydrops and no premortem history of otologic disease. The control bones were selected on the basis of having VAs of the same sizes as the hydropic bones. This was important in order to eliminate any possibility that differences in degree of vascularity of the ES could have been due simply to differences in the degree of development of the VA. All specimens were sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The ES of each bone was reconstructed two-dimensionally by the medial view graphic reconstruction method, and its vascularity was studied histologically under a light microscope. There were fewer and smaller blood vessels in the ESs of bones from individuals with Meniere's disease than in the ESs of control bones. This was particularly true in the richly rugose and the cranial orifice portions of the sac. However, no significant differences were recognized in the degree of vascularity of the periaqueductal bony channels between control and Meniere's disease bones.