I wonder how many here have had this surgery? I had it 3 years ago--as many of you who have read my posts already know. I can really say I'm very pleased with the 'no vertigo' episodes after 3 weeks post op!! However, I'm never without this 'head pressure--not ear pressure' thing. On a scale of 1-10 (I am in the 4 to 8 category) most days. I can deal with it in the 4 scale portion, but higher than that makes whatever I do during my awake hours a 'push' to say the least. Sound distortion, word recognition, is something I deal with. I hear well--in the one good ear but wear aids in both ears. The one that had the surgery has about 30% hearing but without the aid, it drops to just hearing certain noises, not conversations or TV without the aid (in both ears). My head pressure--feeling like one does if your b/p spikes and I have headaches more lately. Not migraine but fairly bad ones some days. The 'dizziness' is there--more like lightheaded feeling--that makes balance an effort if I turn my body/head, etc. quickly. I walk carefully with no cane or walker, but I do have to 'work at it'. I'm wondering if these shunts can ever 'clog' or just quit working? My ent says 'no' but maybe he just has not had a patient that it has quit working. He is a specialist at a major teaching hospital in the treatment of Meniere's. Very likable, a good Neuro-ent. I trust him, but he has no other options to offer me to help with these symptoms--says he wishes he did. He attends seminars often, does 'blind studies' on various treatments, etc. But says I have a bad case of the symptoms--and a few of his patients do but the majority do not. I still have real problems in very noisy situations, large malls, stores, etc. Just makes me so very dizzy and of course that makes me feel nauseous. Anyone here having had this procedure and would be interested in how you are doing now? Thanks.
I had the surgery in 2010. I was vertigo free for about 3-4 months. My doctor at the time told me that the shunt may have collapsed or was blocked. He even offered to go back in and see if he could repair it. It must have still been working a little as the intensity and duration of my vertigo did decrease. By 2012 I was still getting vertigo and I started having drop attacks. I decided to do the gent shots at that point. I will say the relief I got from the shunt was far superior to the gent shots. It seemed to take away the brain fog as well as the vertigo. I also felt like I had alot more energy. I do not remember any head pressure though. My hearing did get worse. Mainly the distortion.
So, Jaeger--are you saying you still have vertigo? I don't understand having more energy (you may be alot younger than me--no doubt). But I have a question about your doctor offering to 'go back in and correct it'. Did he say he could remove the shunt and re-do it or just remove it or ??? I'm asking because when I asked my doctor--a Neuro/ent, he said it will go with me the rest of my life. He doesn't go back in on this type of procedure. I had asked if it could possibly ever collapse or get clogged. He said 'no'. And you are saying the gent shots haven't helped you--but if you are feeling better do you attribute it to the shunt or the shots or think you are 'just getting better'? Lots of questions but I'm still searching for answers myself. Thanks.
I had this surgery in 2009, and the vertigo came back 3 weeks later. It did nothing for me, but I've heard that it has helped many others. It was definitely worth the effort, before I went the VNS route. It wasn't until I had the VNS that I experienced any type of relief.
I had shunt surgery in 1993. It was a disaster. yanksgirl, I can relate to what you describe. I had all of it, plus vertigo. I had pretty good hearing before the shunt. In fact, I didn't even realize I had hearing loss until I had a hearing test. After the surgery I had profound hearing loss in that ear and that's the way it has remained. I awoke from that surgery with vertigo and double vision and still had it when I was released from the hospital four days later. It took a whole week after I got home for the vertigo to stop. I was released to go back to work, which I did, but I still don't know how I made it through the day. The head pressure, tinnitus, dizziness, nausea and headaches were horrific. On the morning of what was supposed to be my second day back at work I had a vertigo attack in the shower while getting ready to go. From that day on I had vertigo at least every other day. The spinning came on gradually and was slower than before and didn't last as long, but one attack would end and another would begin. I only left the house if I had someone with me and didn't drive again for a whole year. The surgeon said the shunt could have become dislodged from the violent vomiting I did following the surgery. He said shunts can become clogged, but he didn't suspect that in my case because it usually happens later down the line. He also said my inner was intolerant of the shunt, but that it couldn't be removed because it would be impossible to find it. I waited eleven months living that way, then had a VNS. My children were young and I was missing out on so much. I couldn't live that way any longer. Due to vomiting all the time my esophagus was always inflamed, my back teeth were a mess and I developed a hernia. I wish I'd never heard of shunt surgery and had gone straight for the VNS to begin with. yanksgirl, I'm sorry you have to deal with the head pressure and everything that goes along with it. I wish someone could do something to help you.
Cherly--how awful for you. I am hoping the date of 1993 means the shunt was so 'very new' that it had not been perfected as yet. So glad you finally got the help and surgery you needed. As I said, no more vertigo has occurred since about 2 weeks after my 'shunt' surgery! That was 3 years ago! However the up and down days with head pressure--not ear pressure, that causes some imbalance and nausea when it's bad, is my big problem. Some days it's a 4 on the 1-10 scale. Other days it's a 7 and the only way it could be higher would be a 'vertigo' attack, and thank God that has not happened. I can only hope the improvements in the 'shunt' mean this is as bad as it gets. And it's not easy but certainly better than vertigo. Please keep us up on how you are doing. Has the VNS relieved you completely? That's great if is has. Thanks for your comments.
yanksgirl, I had relief from the shunt but it didn't last. What I was trying to say is the relief I did get from the shunt while it was working was superior to my current method treatment (Gent Shots). As far as if a shunt can be redone I don't know. I just know what my doctor told me. I never took him up on the offer so who knows. I'm no longer seeing that doctor so that should tell you my level of confidence in him. I do see reference to a primary and revision endolymphatic sac surgery in PubMed. This Revision surgery may be what my Doctor was talking about. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19015441 ********************************************************************************************************************************** Endolymphatic sac surgery for Ménière's disease: long-term results after primary and revision surgery. Wetmore SJ1. Author information1Department of Otolaryngology, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Robert C. Byrd Health Science Center, Morgantown, WV 26506-9200, USA. [email protected] Abstract OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of primary and revision endolymphatic sac surgery for the treatment of Ménière's disease in patients who failed medical therapy. DESIGN: Retrospective medical chart review. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Fifty-one adult patients with Ménière's disease who failed medical therapy. INTERVENTIONS: Endolymphatic sac to mastoid shunts were performed. Revision sac procedures were performed in patients who developed clinically significant recurrent vertiginous spells 5 months or longer after their original procedure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of major vertiginous episodes measured by the standards listed in the 1995 American Academy of Otolaryngology guidelines for evaluation of therapy in Ménière's disease. RESULTS: Twenty-four months after primary sac surgery, 27 patients (53%) exhibited class A results (no vertigo), and 12 (24%) exhibited class B results (1%-40% of baseline). In 14 patients undergoing revision sac surgery, 5 (36%) showed class A results and 4 (29%) showed class B results. Patients who failed treatment with sac surgery more than 24 months after their primary procedure obtained better results than those who failed treatment less than 24 months after their initial sac procedure. In the 37 patients who had long-term follow-up (mean duration of follow-up, 88 months) after their last sac procedure, 57% exhibited class A results (21 cases) and 35% exhibited class B results (13 cases). CONCLUSIONS: Endolymphatic sac surgery provided improvement in major spells of vertigo in 77% of patients at 24 months after surgery. Revision surgery provided improvement in 65% of cases. Results of revision surgery were better in those patients who developed recurrent symptoms more than 24 months after their original procedure compared with those of patients who failed treatment earlier. ***************************************************************************************************************************************
Looks like the revision surgury is to remove any granulation scar tissue and and place a silastic sheet to prevent anymore blockage. The actual original shunt will remain. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7159299 ************************************************************************************************************************************ Endolymphatic-mastoid shunt operation: results of the 24 cases and revision surgery with the silastic sheet. Gyo K, Yanagihara N. Abstract Endolymphatic-mastoid shunt operation due to Kitahara's method was performed on 24 patients with Meniere's disease. In 14 patients, the vertiginous attack was controlled with satisfactory preservation of hearing for longer than one year. In 2 patients, the vertiginous attack subsided but the hearing worsened. In the remaining 8 patients, long-term control of the vertiginous attack was not attained. Of these 8 recurrent cases, revision was performed on 4, revealing shunt obstruction with granulation or scar tissue. After reopening the endolymphatic sac, a large triangular Silastic sheet was placed into its lumen. The vertiginous attack was controlled thus far in the revised cases using this procedure. ************************************************************************************************************************************
Thanks you so much. Alot of information that I do need to know about. I don't plan to have a revision unless vertigo returns but I do plan to bring this to my doctor's attention that I read about a 'revision' that does indicate sometimes this procedure fails. He said I would 'never' have vertigo again--and so far, I haven't, but am wondering about this awful daily head pressure/dizziness and if it is due to something 'amiss' in the shunt's working. At least I know some people have had it 're-done', in the event vertigo should return. So grateful for the information.
I had the surgery in January 2026. I have been dealing with the lightheadedness and vomiting for 2.6 years. I was diagnosed with Cochlear Hydrops about 8 years ago.Did the shots in my ear, which helped for no more than 2 weeks. After the surgery I still get the lightheadedness but to a lesser degree and only have been sick 3 or 4 times since the surgery vs. 3 or 4 times a week before the surgery. The head pressure has gone down considerably and actually after being told the surgery would make my hearing worse, it got better. Not a lot, but did get a bit better. I’m almost 4 months since the surgery on 1/27/26 and would say overall 50% better and 85%better in regards to getting sick. I’m still taking the diuretic and potassium along with trying to keep my salt intake down to 1200mg a day rather than the 1800mg I can have.