The ANTI-LAMBDA: A Non-statical Tonal Indicator Low-Frequency Air-Bone Gap of Ménière’s Bouts and Disease Activity

TL;DR

This study identifies a low-frequency air-bone gap as a potential indicator of Ménière’s disease activity and instability.

Contribution

The study introduces the ANTI-LAMBDA as a novel clinical indicator for Ménière’s disease activity and stability.

Findings

Low-frequency air-bone gaps (LFABGs) were significantly associated with unstable Ménière’s disease (p < 0.001).

LFABG magnitude correlated with increased disease activity, especially at 250 Hz and 500 Hz (p < 0.001).

The ANTI-LAMBDA has high sensitivity (93.8%) and specificity (82.7%) for identifying unstable Ménière’s disease.

Abstract

Introduction: There have been reports of patients with Ménière´s disease (MD) showing unexplained audiometric air-bone gaps at low frequencies. Little is known about the clinical significance of this finding. The objective of this study was to describe this phenomenon while relating it with clinical features, namely the incidence of attacks.

Methods: Unilateral MD patients were selected and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) was assessed to exclude structural pathology. A retrospective longitudinal analysis regarding disease activity and audiometric details was performed. A coincidence index and regression predictive models were considered to assess the relationship between the air-bone gap and MD activity.

Results: A total of 70 MD patients were enrolled and 252 audiograms were assessed. Low-frequency air-bone gaps (LFABGs) were significantly associated with unstable MD (p < 0.001), demonstrating a sensitivity and specificity of 93.8% and 82.7%, respectively. The incidence of unstable disease with the presence of LFABG was 89.1 %. A higher LFABG magnitude correlated with increased disease activity (p < 0.001) and was particularly pronounced at 250 Hz and 500 Hz.

Conclusion: The typical LFABG encountered was here called ANTI-LAMBDA (A Non-statical Tonal Indicator Low-Frequency Air-Bone Gap of Ménière’s Bouts and Disease Activity). It relates to MD activity and is a potential new tool to assess MD stability/need for additional therapeutics.

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