Tratamento cirúrgico da doen？a de Ménière por meio de Shunts labirínticos: passado e presente

introduction: the surgerys of the endolymphatic shunt are employed in the treatment of the vertigo of meniere disease disabling, remains a controversial topic. portmann in 1926, was the first to perform the surgery, incising the endolymphatic sac aimming the decrease of the endolymphatic pressure of the inner ear. planned to create a fistula that connects the endo and perilymphatic space, the sacculotomy were described by fick in 1964, by cody in 1969 e by schuknecht (cochleosacculotomy) in 1982, however they were gradually abandoned because of the high incidence of hearing loss. a new and promising surgery option of shunt, still experimental is utriculostomy, performed by lavinsky in 1999. objective: make a review of literature about the main surgical techniques of endolymphatic shunt, used in the treatment of meniere disease, its results and the advance in the understanding of these procedures. methods: based on the literature data, the main surgical techniques of endolymphatic shunt are discussed and its rationality in the treatment of meniere's disabling disease. conclusion: there are a lot of controversy over the effectiveness of surgical procedures of endolymphatic shunt for the treatment of meniere's disabling disease, and a lot of them damage the inner ear. the experimental surgery of utriculostomy, so it seems, a promising option. future research can give an answer to this matter.