Current Status and Trends in Research Relating to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Meniere’s Disease: A Bibliometric Analysis

BACKGROUND: Meniere’s disease (MD) is a challenging vestibular disorder causing vertigo and hearing loss, significantly impacting patients’ quality of life. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis of MD-related literature (up to September 2023) from Web of Science and PubMed was conducted, using R and VOSviewer to assess publication trends, key authors, institutions, and research topics. RESULTS: The literature review through September 2023 identified 1337 publications showing steady growth (5.33% annually). These works involved 3130 authors across 198 journals, with 26% appearing in 3 leading journals: Laryngoscope, Acta Oto-Laryngologica, and Otology & Neurotology—the latter showing particularly rapid growth. The U.S. produced the most publications and collaborations, followed by the U.K. and Japan. Research primarily focused on diagnostic methods, treatments, and influencing factors. CONCLUSION: Meniere’s disease research is expanding, but etiology remains unclear. Emerging diagnostic tools like vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials, cochlear electrograms, and magnetic resonance imaging may improve MD differentiation. Treatment optimization remains crucial, with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) emerging as a key research focus—though it requires larger clinical trials and standardized protocols. Genetic advances have linked MD risk to MITF and SOX10 genes, with further genetic discoveries representing a promising future direction.