The middle ear is the part of the ear that is enclosed behind the eardrum. A tiny tube, called the eustachian tube, drains any fluids from the middle ear into the throat. Colds and episodes of allergic runny nose, due to airborne allergens or allergies to cow’s milk or other foods, block this eustachian tube with mucus and inflammation. When this tiny mucous-membrane-lined canal is closed off, ...

The change in middle ear pressure while breathing gas mixtures containing N(2)O was studied in four monkeys. At each of three experimental sessions, monkeys were anesthetized, acclimated for 60 min, breathed with room air for 60 min, and then breathed with 5, 10, or 20% N(2)O for 60 min. Middle ear pressure, rectal temperature, and vital signs were recorded throughout. The time constant for blo...

Otitis media (OM) is one of the most common childhood diseases. OM can arise when a viral infection enables bacteria to disseminate from the nasopharynx to the middle ear. Here, we provide the first infant murine model for disease. Mice coinfected with Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza virus had high bacterial load in the middle ear, middle ear inflammation, and hearing loss. In contrast, ...

The first part of this thesis evaluates two different treatment strategies in tympanostomy tube associated otorrhea. The second explores the tentative relation between the appearance of otitis media with effusion and the immunological activity in the adenoid, focusing on Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and TLR7 along with the nitric oxide (NO) inducing enzymes eNOS and iNOS. The third part investiga...

CONTEXT Anatomical, physiological, and epidemiological data indicate that there may be a significant genetic component to prolonged time with and recurrent episodes of otitis media in children. OBJECTIVE To determine the genetic component of time with and episodes of middle ear effusion and acute otitis media (AOM) during the first 2 years of life. DESIGN Prospective twin and triplet cohort...

The purpose of this study was to establish guidelines that help radiation oncologists contour the inner and middle ear on treatment planning scans. The radiotherapy computed tomography (CT) scans of 15 previously treated patients were reviewed for the ability to identify 3 separate auditory structures. The middle ear, the cochlea, and the vestibular apparatus were identified and contoured on ea...

Otitis media with effusion (OME) is one of the most common causes of hearing loss (HL) in children. It has been reported that several factors such as eustachian tube dysfunction, insufficiencies in the aeration of the mastoid cells, allergies, immunity, and infections play an important role in the etiology of the disease. Little is known about the role of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in extr...

Since I introduced the homograft transplantation en bloc in 1959, more than 2,400 patients with chronic middle-ear inflammation and the conditions resulting from an old radical operation have been operated upon. Different kinds of chemical solution for the conservation of the homograft have been used, and experience has shown that the best solution is a combination of Cialit 1:5,000 and formald...

During the placement of a mould for a hearing aid by a hearing aid dispenser, moulding MATERIALS entered the middle ear through preexisting perforations in the tympanic membrane. Middle ear foreign bodies are common otorhinolaryngological emergencies and must be removed to avoid complications. Surgical removal of the moulding MATERIALS by tympanotomy was necessary. Here, we report a case of a m...

An analog network model of the human middle ear is used to study the effect of terminal loads on the middle ear frequency response. A new transformer ratio value is computed and used to improve the model of the middle ear through the use of an ideal transformer. The terminal loads are taken as the loads on either side of the middle ear. The forward and reverse frequency characteristics of the m...