Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is a common condition that lacks a widely accepted treatment. Attempts to address ETD surgically have spanned several centuries and have often fallen short of success. It is probable that occult anatomic position, unclear function, and misunderstood physiology have contributed to the delayed development of effective interventions for ETD. This article traces th...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The surgical management options for eustachian tube dysfunction have historically been limited. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the technical considerations, learning curve, and potential barriers for balloon dilation of the eustachian tube (BDET) as an alternative treatment modality. STUDY DESIGN Prospective preclinical trial of BDET in a cadaver model. ...

Objective: Autologous lipoinjection for patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction was investigated. We studied the technique of fat harvesting, fat tissue changes due to processing, clinical application and preliminary outcomes. Design: Prospective pilot cohort study. Methods: Transnasal endoscopic injection of autologous lipoinjection into the posterior cushin was performed in 8 patients as a new t...

Middle ear barotrauma during flight is a painful disorder experienced by passengers who cannot properly regulate their middle ear pressure in response to the changing cabin pressures during ascent and descent. Previous reports emphasized the important role of poor eustachian tube function in disease pathogenesis but paid little attention to other moderating factors. Here we describe a mathemati...

OBJECTIVES To test the outcome of sonotubometric measurement in children with otitis media with effusion (OME) before and after insertion of ventilation tubes. DESIGN Eustachian tube ventilatory function was tested in children with OME. To test validity, sonotubometric testing took place before insertion of ventilation tubes (ie, glue ear) and 1 week and 3 months after grommet insertion (ie, ...

E tube dysfunction represents one of the most frequent otic pathologies, being the starting point for almost all the acute or chronic otic inflammatory processes and their consequences. Tubal dysfunction and otitis media with effusion are the most frequent pathologies within the pediatric population. During their first seven years of life almost 70% of children present at least one episode of E...

The hypoxia-inducible factor and vascular endothelial growth factor (HIF-VEGF) pathway in hypoxic conditions of the middle ear due to dysfunction of the eustachian tube is still unknown, but it is considered as one pathogenetic mechanism in otitis media. This study was designed to investigate the possible involvement of the HIF-VEFG pathway in otitis media with effusion induced by dysfunction o...

Patulous Eustachian tube (PET) is a common condition that produces symptoms of aural fullness and autophony. We describe a Parkinson's disease (PD) patient that experienced a reversible bilateral patulous (hyperpatent) Eustachian tube syndrome induced by treatment with amantadine hydrochloride. The clinical features, relevant anatomy and physiology, and associated risk factors for PET are revie...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Assess the feasibility of using the Valsalva maneuver to visualize the cartilaginous eustachian tube lumen with computed tomography (CT) in subjects with no ear disease. STUDY DESIGN Prospective case series study. METHODS Thirty-eight consecutive patients undergoing CT of the sinuses for nose-related complaints with normal radiographic findings consented for a CT of th...

Eustachian tube dilation (ETD) is a relatively new intervention for the treatment of eustachian dysfunction. Though it previously had no assigned billing code, American Medical Association recently accepted Category I Current Procedural Terminology code application ETD to be effective in January 2021. Reported complications are uncommon and usually minor. Herein, we present rare case massive pn...