From the Research
An abnormal Rinne test is not an expected finding for a patient with Meniere's disease. Meniere's disease is characterized by episodes of vertigo, fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness due to endolymphatic hydrops. While patients with Meniere's disease typically demonstrate a positive Romberg test (indicating vestibular dysfunction), lateralization to the unaffected ear during Weber test (due to sensorineural hearing loss in the affected ear), and hearing loss (particularly in low frequencies), they generally have a normal Rinne test. The Rinne test compares air and bone conduction, and since Meniere's disease causes sensorineural rather than conductive hearing loss, air conduction remains better than bone conduction, resulting in a normal Rinne test. An abnormal Rinne test (where bone conduction is better than air conduction) would suggest conductive hearing loss, which is not characteristic of Meniere's disease. This is supported by the fact that studies on vestibular function in Meniere's disease, such as the video-head impulse test 1, focus on assessing vestibular function rather than conductive hearing loss, further indicating that an abnormal Rinne test is not a typical finding in Meniere's disease. Key characteristics of Meniere's disease include:
- Episodes of vertigo
- Fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss
- Tinnitus
- Aural fullness
- Positive Romberg test
- Lateralization to the unaffected ear during Weber test
- Normal Rinne test.