Does evidence-based medicine exist in the treatment of Menière's disease? A critical review of the last decade of publications

Debate surrounding the need for evidence‐based research in all fields of otolaryngology has recently emerged. A review of English language articles dealing with the treatment of Menière's disease published from 1989 to 1999 was performed. The papers were classified according to article type (observational studies, non‐clinical studies, controlled trials, randomised controlled trials) and according to the grade of evidence that was offered. A total of 128 publications were reviewed, of which only three were randomised controlled trials and a further three were well‐designed controlled studies without randomization. The majority of papers were non‐experimental clinical descriptive studies or case series. Data from this review would suggest that more comprehensive evidence‐based studies are required in order to settle areas of confusion surrounding treatment of this relapsing condition