Analysis of Ear Disorders Case - Essay Example

As the patient here was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disuse which is a disease of the internal ear and usually involves the endolymph which is the fluid that runs in the semi-circular canals and the endolymphatic duct. According to the normal anatomy and physiology of the inner ear, the endolymph in the three semicircular canals which forms the vestibular system is responsible for maintaining balance in a normal human being (O'Donoghue et al 2000). However, in Meniere's disease, there is some sort o abnormality in the endolymphatic system i.e. either there is an excess of endolymph or some sort of obstruction in the duct which disrupts the vestibular system leading to loss of balance (Vertigo).

Treatment procedures usually include typical treatment modes such as yoga to cope with stress in these patients and after that, they could be given intratympanic corticosteroids. The function of these corticosteroids is to reduce inflammation in endolymphatic dust. Also, surgical procedures which include decreasing the pressure in the duct to maintain the flow of the endolymph in the vestibular system can be applied in severe cases. But, surgical procedures usually lead to hearing loss as a complication since both systems are very closely associated (O'Donoghue et al 2000).

Permanent Hearing loss Excessive endolymph pressure in the endolymphatic duct and the whole inner ear leads to the compression of the nerve endings of the outer and inner hair cells. Once compressed for a longer period these nerve endings first generate a symptom of Timmis with alternating periods of hearing loss and then if the disease is not treated these nerve cells eventually die. Since nerve cells cannot regenerate the damage once done is usually irreversible (O'Donoghue et al 2000).