Overcome by sudden bouts ofdizziness, a roaring or ringing sound in the ear, hearing loss and painfulpressure in one or both ears, more than 2.6 million individuals in the U.S.and Europe suffer from Meniere's Disease. According to the NationalInstitutes of Health, an additional 45,000 new cases are diagnosed eachyear in the United States. At its worst, Meniere's Disease can be debilitating, making routinedaily tasks extremely difficult. "Every day my success was measured bywhether I could make it through the workday [without having to go home],"explained Patricia Borrello-Monie, a medical social worker in New Orleans,La. "This became how I defined my productivity at work and my satisfactionwith my life in general. I was totally non-functional at night.

I wouldcome home from work and just lie flat on the sofa to ease the dizzinesssensation." Typically, a Meniere's attack is characterized by a combination ofvertigo, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), and hearing loss lasting severalhours. People experience these discomforts at varying frequencies,durations, and intensities and may notice a loss of hearing or feelunsteady for prolonged periods.

Vertigo attacks, usually the mostdebilitating symptom of Meniere's Disease, can strike patients with littleor no warning and lead to severe nausea, vomiting and sweating. For somepatients, the disease progresses from an occasional incidence to chronicsymptoms. For John Lecky, MD, professor of Anesthesia at the University ofWashington Medical Center, Meniere's threatened his ability to care for hispatients. "Patient safety comes first," he stated. "If you have a vertigoattack ... you're incapacitated. And like so many patients with Meniere'sDisease, I was constantly in fear of an attack I wouldn't be able tocontrol."

After several severe attacks in 2001, Dr. Lecky felt compelled toretire if his disease did not improve. Both Borrello-Monie and Lecky found relief in a unique device thatadministers computer-controlled, low-pressure air pulses to the middle ear."I'd have tried anything and was about ready to [undergo surgery to] havemy vestibular nerve cut, but the theory of the device made sense to me,"stated Dr. Lecky, who was treated by otolaryngologist Dr. George Gates,professor and director of the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Research Center atthe University of Washington Medical Center.