Meniere's disease is a common disease, that presents with recurrent
vertigo and cochlear symptoms. The pathology of
Meniere's disease was first reported to involve
endolymphatic hydrops in 1938. The endolymphatic sac is thought to have a role to keep the hydrostatic pressure and endolymph homeostasis for the inner ear. As a surgery for intractable
Meniere's disease, endolymphatic sac drainage with intraendolymphatic sac application of large doses of
steroids is performed to control the
endolymphatic hydrops and preserve or improve inner ear function. In the present study, to observe the effect of this surgery, we calculated the endolymphatic space size using 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 4 h after
intravenous injection of
gadolinium enhancement at two time points: just before surgery and 2 years after. To reveal the condition of the endolymphatic space, we constructed three-dimensional MR images semi-automatically and fused the three-dimensional images of the total fluid space of inner ear and the endolymphatic space. After fusing the images, we calculated the volume of the total fluid space and endolymphatic space. Two years after surgery, 16 of 20 patients (80.0%) showed relief from
vertigo/
dizziness and reductions in the ratio of the volume of the endolymphatic size to the total fluid space of inner ear. Endolymphatic sac drainage with intraendolymphatic sac application of large doses of
steroids could control
vertigo/
dizziness and decrease the
endolymphatic hydrops. These results indicate that endolymphatic sac drainage is a good treatment option for patients with intractable
Meniere's disease. In addition, volumetric measurement of inner ear volume could be useful for confirming the effect of treatments on
Meniere's disease.