Hydrops Magnetic Resonance Imaging Accurately Differentiates Meniere’s Disease, Vestibular Migraine

In a prospective study conducted by Bernaerts and colleagues (2025), 15 patients with Meniere’s disease and 16 with vestibular migraine received inner ear magnetic resonance imaging with gadobutrol enhancement. This imaging sought to identify cochlear endolymphatic hydrops (CEH), vestibular endolymphatic hydrops (VEH), and asymmetrical perilymphatic enhancement (PLE).

After analysis, the researchers found the combination of CEH and VEH imaging correctly identified Meniere’s disease in 100 percent of patients, while no patients with vestibular migraine showed these abnormalities. This study may contribute to a new imaging paradigm to help objectively diagnose Meniere’s disease and differentiate it from vestibular migraine.

Reference

Bernaerts, A., Sluydts, M., Liégeois, V.,Blaivie, C.,Wuyts, F. L.,et al. (2025). Role of hydrops MRI in differentiating between Menière’s disease and vestibular migraine: a prospective study. Frontiers in Neurology, 16, 1-7.