Muradova N. A.

GLYCEROL DEHYDRATION TEST IN PATIENTS WITH SUSPECTED MENIERE’S DISEASE: A CLINICAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

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About the author:

Muradova N. A.

Heading:

CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE

Type of article:

Scientific article

Annotation:

Meniere’s disease is a chronic inner-ear disorder characterized by episodic vertigo, fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness. Its underlying pathology is associated with endolymphatic hydrops, yet timely diagnosis remains clinically challenging. Functional diagnostic tests play an important role in evaluating cochlear involvement, particularly when imaging methods are unavailable. The glycerol dehydration test (GDT) is a non-invasive procedure based on the osmotic action of orally administered glycerol, which can temporarily reduce endolymphatic volume and improve hearing thresholds. This observational clinical study assessed the diagnostic utility of the GDT in 39 patients with suspected Meniere’s disease. Pure-tone audiometry was performed before glycerol administration and repeated at 1, 2, and 3 hours after ingestion of glycerol at a dose of 1 g/kg body weight. A positive test was defined as ≥10 dB improvement in hearing thresholds and/or ≥12% increase in speech discrimination scores. The overall positivity rate was 48.7%, with women demonstrating higher positivity (57.1%) than men (38.9%). Maximum improvements were detected at the third hour, highlighting the importance of sequential audiometry. These findings are consistent with international literature and support GDT as a practical, inexpensive, and clinically valuable method for detecting endolymphatic hydrops. Further prospective studies integrating GDT with electrophysiological and imaging techniques are recommended.

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Bibliography:

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Publication of the article:

«Bulletin of problems biology and medicine», 2025 Issue 4, 179, 159-166 pages, index UDC 616.281-008.55-036.1

DOI:

10.29254/2077-4214-2025-4-179-159-166