Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is estimated to affect approximately 1% of the UK population. ETD and subsequent inadequate middle ear ventilation have been implicated in the pathogenesis of otological diseases including otitis media with effusion (OME), retraction pockets, tympanic membrane (TM) perforation and cholesteatoma. Patients may present with vague, non-specific symptoms including a...

INTRODUCTION An abnormally patent Eustachian tube, known as a patulous Eustachian tube (pET), can cause disabling autophony as well as annoying transmitted sounds of breathing and swallowing. The elegant work of Poe’s group has shown that the anatomical defect is found in the anterolateral tubal valve of the nasopharyngeal end of the Eustachian tube (ET). To the frustration of both patients and...

BACKGROUND To identify predictors for development of mastoiditis after intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS Data for 146 NPC patients treated with IMRT was retrospectively reviewed under institutional ethics committee approval. Clinical factors associated with mastoiditis were analyzed. Dose-volume histogram analysis was performed for the Eus...

At the present time, the function of the TTM remains unknown. One of the main hypotheses accredited in the literature interprets the TTM, together with the Tensor Veli Palatini (TVP), as part of the same anatomic unit [1]. There is an evident phylogenetic connection with respect to the innervation, irrigation and formation of the structures of the throat and ear, including the Eustachian tube. ...

OME is similar to other chronic inflammatory diseases with the additional fact that ventilation of the middle ear is an extremely important and necessary part of therapy. Antimicrobial therapy alone may not cure middle ear inflammatory disease as long as Eustachian tube dysfunction persists. If Eustachian tube dysfunction and middle ear fluid persists, all forms of immunologic reactivity may oc...

Craniofacial defects that occur through gene mutation during development increase vulnerability to eustachian tube dysfunction. These defects can lead to an increased incidence of otitis media. We examined the effects of a mutation in the Sh3pxd2b gene (Sh3pxd2b(nee)) on the progression of otitis media and hearing impairment at various developmental stages. We found that all mice that had the S...

INTRODUCTION As the first ear, nose and throat department in Denmark, we introduced balloon dilatation of the Eustachian tube as a treatment of obstructive dysfunction in the summer of 2012. We present our preliminary experiences with this new treatment in adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS Preoperatively, several different tests were performed including otomicroscopy, audiometry, tympanometry and ...