Depression or anxiety that the condition will worsen or progress to Menieres disease.As with Menieres disease, atypical, early, or mild cases may only present some symptoms. Diagnosis
Diagnosis is based on symptoms and a hearing test that documents a loss in the low and mid frequencies, usually only in one ear. For patients with mild or atypical hydrops, the hearing thresholds may be normal, but they may experience a subjective, unilateral distortion of sounds in lower frequencies, such as diplacusis or that voices are sounding "robotic". Patients may also mention a feeling of pressure or fullness in the ear.To objectively test for the presence of hydrops, an electrocochleography (or ECOG) procedure can be done to detect elevated inner ear pressure. It is also possible to reveal the presence of hydrops with an MRI.If vertigo is experienced, the diagnosis progresses to Menieres disease. This occurs if the fluid increase leads to a leak or rupture of the membranes in the inner ear, causing a mixture of perilymph and endolymph. Treatment
Treatment for cochlear hydrops is the same as for Menieres disease. Currently, no cure exists for either.If a patient has undergone sudden sensorineural hearing loss, a course of steroids is often prescribed in an attempt to recover the hearing. Steroids may be injected directly through the eardrum.Like Menieres Disease, a low salt diet is recommended as a preventative measure. A diuretic may be prescribed to help lower salt content.Betahistine is the most widely prescribed medication for the treatment of Menieres disease.
The drug is thought to increase blood flow to the inner ear and to prevent the frequency and intensity of episodes. While Betahistine is considered safe, there is insufficient evidence that it is an effective treatment. It is not FDA approved in the United States, yet has still been clinically observed to benefit patients, and is considered safer and more effective than diuretics. Betahistine at high doses (such as 144 mg/day) can yield similar vertigo control as intratympanic dexamethasone.Antivirals have been proven effective for those who suspect a viral cause for their cochlear Hydrops.For some, surgery may be effective, such as an endolymphatic sac decompression. Surgery is often reserved for cases where other measures have proven ineffective and/or when vestibular issues are the main complaint, as it runs the risk of causing hearing or other nerve damage. Prognosis
The symptoms of cochlear hydrops fluctuate, and the condition tends to stabilize or go away on its own after several years. However, because the organ of Corti undergoes stress during the hydrops episodes, long-term hearing loss, tinnitus, or hyperacusis is possible. It is considered by some that cochlear hydrops is an early form of Menieres disease. However, while all people with Menieres disease have some form of hydrops, the majority of cochlear hydrops patients do not go on to develop Menieres disease. It takes an average of one year from the onset of symptoms for someone to develop full Menieres disease, if at all.