RESUMO
Objective To study the effects of endolymphatic sac decompression and on semicircular canal plugging in treating intractable Meniere's disease.Methods A total of 14 cases of intractable Meniere's disease were included in this study.The age was from 33~67 years old and the history was from 1 to 40 years.The hearing level of bone was from 35 to 65 dB for the speech frequencies.All cases received the treatments according to the pre-op-erative design.The endolymphatic sac was decompressed and the three semicircular canal bones were drilled to cre-ate a fenestra followed by soft tissue plugging into the canal.The vertigo,hearing level and tinnitus were included in the following up.Results All cases had no facial palsy,no cerebrospinal leak,and no vertical after surgery.In the period of 3 to 18 months following up,the attack of Meniere's disease was completely controlled for 13 cases excep-tion of one lost case.For five cases,the hearing level descended 10 to 15 dB compared to pre-operation.Conclusion Although the endolymphatic sac decompression can relieve endolymphatic pressure,this may not adequately pro-tect the hearing caused by the semicircular canal plugging.The surgical technique is reliable and safe;however fur-ther clinical data should be gathered.