Surgical Treatments for Vertigo

1. Endolymphatic Shunt Surgery

• Application Area: Primarily used in Meniere’s disease to reduce fluid buildup in the inner ear.
• How It Works: A shunt is placed on the endolymphatic sac of the inner ear to drain excess fluid. This helps balance the pressure in the inner ear and alleviates vertigo symptoms.
• Success Rate: It can provide significant relief for patients with Meniere’s disease, although it may not be effective for all.

2. Vestibular Nerve Section (Vestibular Neurectomy)

• Application Area: Used for severe and persistent vertigo in patients who do not benefit from other treatments.
• How It Works: The vestibular nerve is cut to block balance signals from the inner ear to the brain, thereby controlling vertigo.
• Advantages: Reduces balance problems while maintaining a low risk of hearing loss.
• Challenges: As a surgical procedure, it requires an experienced surgeon and is only suitable for patients with an appropriate health profile.

3. Labyrinthectomy

• Application Area: Used in cases of severe vertigo when hearing is already completely lost.
• How It Works: The labyrinth system of the inner ear is entirely removed or disabled, eliminating the source of imbalance that causes vertigo.
• Advantages: Can completely eliminate vertigo symptoms.
• Disadvantages: Results in total loss of hearing, so it is typically performed on patients who have pre-existing hearing loss.

4. Semicircular Canal Occlusion

• Application Area: Effective in cases of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) triggered by positional changes.
• How It Works: The semicircular canals in the inner ear are blocked to prevent false signals from reaching the brain, which causes dizziness.
• Success Rate: Generally yields successful outcomes and can permanently eliminate positional vertigo.

5. Saccular Sac Excision

• Application Area: Often used for conditions like Perilymphatic Fistula.
• How It Works: The area of the fistula is closed to prevent the leakage of inner ear fluid.
• Advantages: Helps maintain inner ear fluid balance and controls vertigo.

These surgical options are chosen based on the cause of the vertigo and the patient’s condition. Since every surgical intervention carries some risks, surgery is usually considered only when other treatments fail or when vertigo significantly impacts the patient’s quality of life.