Vol. 93 No.7 July 2000
Meniere’s
Disease
–
Underlying Mechanism of its Clinical Features －
Taizo
Takeda
Based on our previous reports, the pathogenesis of Meniere’s disease was thought to be as follow. : Hearing loss caused by endolymphatic hydrops is closely linked to the degree of hydrops, not to the degree of pressure difference between endolymph and perilymph. Both vertigo and deafness could be explained by high potassium in the scala tympani, not in the scala vestibuli. In addition to the dysfunction of the endolymphatic sac, a high concentration of plasma vasopressin is thought to be the other causative factor in the formation of endolymphatic hydrops.
Key words: Meniere’s disease, pathogenesis, endolymphatic hydrops, vasopressin