Is Meniett Therapy Right for You?
The Meniett device is a safe, simple, and effective treatment for many Ménière's disease patients.1-12 It’s easy to use at home, work, or on the go. But there is no treatment that is best for every Ménière's disease patient. Only you and your doctor can decide which treatment is best for your Ménière's disease.
Detail
– Meniett therapy is a low-risk treatment option that is often recommended before invasive or destructive surgeryThe Meniett device is most helpful if your worst symptom is vertigo, when you feel like you’re spinning even though you’re standing still. Many Ménière's disease patients report that vertigo is the most disabling symptom.
Other conditions can cause similar symptoms to Ménière's disease. The Meniett device is only for definite Ménière's disease. Patients who aren’t candidates for Meniett therapy include those with:
- Perilymph fistula (an abnormal opening in the inner ear)
- Retrocochlear damage (damage to the hearing nerve), acoustic neuroma (a benign tumor on the hearing nerve), or a brain tumor
- Low-pressure hydrocephalus (increased level of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain)
Diet and medication are often the first line of treatment for Ménière's disease. If that doesn’t help, many ENT specialists prescribe the Meniett device.13 Surgery is usually considered only after other Ménière's disease treatments fail because it’s riskier and more invasive.
If Meniett therapy doesn’t help you, you can still try surgery to relieve your Ménière's disease symptoms. But once you have surgery, the Meniett device is usually no longer an option. This is because most surgical treatments for Ménière's disease destroy some or all of the inner ear.
Before you consider any Ménière's disease treatment, talk to your doctor and learn as much as you can about the available treatment options.
References
- Dornhoffer JL, King D. The effect of the Meniett device in patients with Ménière's disease: long-term results. Otol Neurotol 2008; 29(6):868-74.
- Barbara M, Monini S, Chiappini I, Filipo R. Meniett therapy may avoid vestibular neurectomy in disabling Ménière's disease. Acta Otolaryngol 2007; 127(11):1136-1141.
- Mattox DE, Reichert M. Meniett device for Ménière's disease: use and compliance at 3 to 5 years. Otol Neurotol 2008; 29(1):29-32.
- Weining H, Fang L, Bo G, Jinmei Z. Clinical long-term effects of Meniett pulse generator for Ménière's disease. Acta Otolaryngol 2009; 129(8):819-825.
- Nabi S, Parnes LS. Bilateral Ménière’s disease. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2009; 17:356-362.
- Thomsen J, Sass K, Ödkvist L, Arlinger S. Local over-pressure treatment reduces vestibular symptoms in patients with Ménière’s disease: a clinical, randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Otol Neurotol 2005; 26:68-73.
- Rajan GP, Din S, Atlas MD. Long-term effects of the Meniett device in Ménière’s disease: the Western Australian experience. J Laryngol Otol 2005; 119:391-395.
- Densert B, Sass K. Control of symptoms in patients with Ménière’s disease using middle ear applications: two years follow-up. Acta Otolaryngol 2001; 121(5):616-621.
- Gates GA, Green Jr. JD, Tucci DL, Telian SA. The effects of transtympanic micropressure treatment in people with unilateral Ménière’s disease. Arch of Oto – HNS 2004; 130(6):718-725.
- Gates GA, Verrall A, Green Jr. JD, Tucci DL, Telian SA. Meniett clinical trial: long-term follow-up. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2006; 132:1311-1316.
- Ödkvist LM, Arlinger S, Billermark E, Densert B, Lindholm S, Wallquist J. Effects of middle ear pressure changes on clinical symptoms in patients with Ménière’s disease: A clinical, multicenter, placebo-controlled study. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl 2000; 543: 99-101.
- Densert B, Densert O, Arlinger S, Sass K, Ödkvist LM. Immediate effects of middle ear pressure changes on the electrocochleographic recordings in patients with Ménière’s disease: A clinical placebo-controlled study. Am J Otol 1997; 18:726-733.
- Peterson WM, Isaacson JE. Current management of Ménière’s disease in an only hearing ear. Otol Neurotol 2007.
Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.
