The external and middle ears are important to auditory function as they are the gateway through which sound energy reaches the inner ear. Also, middle-ear disease is the most common cause of hearing loss, and while a wide range of treatments have been developed many lead to unsatisfactory hearing results. We use measurements of middle-ear structure and function in animals, live human patients a...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS While continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is commonly used for obstructive sleep apnea treatment, its effect on middle ear pressure is unknown. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of CPAP on middle ear pressure and describe the correlation between CPAP levels and middle ear pressures. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of normal tympanometry values ...

Bilateral middle ear congenital cholesteatoma (CC) is an extremely rare disease. Middle ear CC grows from birth behind the intact ear drum, with no symptoms. Usually, it is detected by the pediatrician at the time of a routine visit. Undetected, it may grow for years until becoming quite large. Etiology of middle ear CC is still controversial, but it seems that an embryologic origin is the most...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether there is an association between otitis media with effusion and laryngopharyngeal reflux in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study included 31 children with otitis media with effusion. The pepsinogen level in the middle ear fluid of all patients was measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Each patient's middle ear fluid was investigated for He...

otitis media with effusion (ome) is very common in pediatric patients. immune reactions in serum and middle ear system play roles in the etiology, pathogenesis and prevention of otitis media. immunologically active antigens interact with immunocompetent cells in the lamina propria of the middle ear to produce a local immune response. in this investigation, 32 sera and 50 middle ear fluid sample...