Usefulness of Glycerol Test in Meniere's Disease

Glycerol, also known as pure glycerin, has many uses. A clear, colorless and viscous alcohol, glycerol is used as part of the "dehydration" test in diagnosing Meniere's Disease of the ear. The condition is also known as Endolymphatic hydrops.

What is Meniere's Disease?

• Characterized by increased pressure of the inner ear, Meniere's is not defined by its symptoms. Symptoms include episodes of dizziness and tinnitus and progressive hearing loss that is usually unilateral, according to AudioEnglish.net. Doctors have yet to find out what causes these symptoms.

Diagnosing

• There is no definitive test for diagnosing Meniere's, so doctors run tests for known diseases in order to rule them out. A dehydration test using glycerol is part of the differential diagnosis that distinguishes Meniere's from other inner ear disorders.

How glycerol is used

• Glycerol is administered orally to patients to reduce fluid abnormalities in the inner ear. It may affect hearing temporarily (a few hours), the results of which are measured by audiogram.

Effectiveness of the test

• According to research from the University of Washington School of Medicine, "results indicated that the test is an appropriate diagnostic tool in the evaluation of Meniere's cases and that it is a prognostic tool for evaluation of therapy." Significant improvement in speech discrimination and hearing was noted after glycerol ingestion.

Test mishap

• In a letter to the Journal of Neurology, doctors reported that an overadministration of glycerol to a 72-year-old-man resulted in his suffering an Acute Encephalopathy, an altered brain function. They attributed the seizure-like reaction to overconsumption of glycerol during testing for Meniere's Disease.