BACKGROUND Eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction is a common but poorly understood cause of patient symptoms, and an important aetiological factor in the development of middle ear pathology. Despite this, there are no specific tests of ET function in widespread clinical use and no identified 'gold standard' with which to diagnose the disease. OBJECTIVE This review aims to review the literature to ...

Some specific management options to treat and prevent otitis media and certain related conditions are related to Eustachian tube dysfunction, whereas others are not. An understanding of the role that tubal dysfunction plays in the currently available nonsurgical and surgical options can be helpful not only in the decision-making process to treat or not to treat but also the reasons for complica...

OBJECTIVE To study the role of eustachian tube function in the development of recurrent otitis media with effusion (OME) in children treated with tympanostomy tubes for OME. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Three academic and general hospitals. PATIENTS Children aged 2 to 7 years with a first clinical episode of OME that persisted for at least 3 months; 136 (81%) of 168 eligible c...

In this chapter, I describe the available diagnostic procedures and tests of the structure and function of the Eustachian tube system. In other chapters in this text, I briefly refer to many of these procedures in describing certain aspects of the anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology of Eustachian tube function and dysfunction and the tubal system’s role in pathogenesis of otitis media and ...

OBJECTIVE Assess the patency of the proximal and distal segments of the Eustachian tube in patients undergoing surgery for chronic ear disease. STUDY DESIGN Case study with control group. METHODS All consecutive patients presenting for surgery for chronic ear disease in our practice over 14 months underwent preoperative Valsalva computed tomography (CT), and an attempt was made intraoperati...

We report a case of malignant melanoma of Eustachian tube with extension to the middle ear cavity and nasopharynx in a 51-year-old woman who presented with right ear fullness. Computed tomography showed a soft tissue mass in the middle ear cavity and caused the widening and eroding of the bony eustachian tube. Magnetic resonance imaging showed well enhancing mass in eustachian tube extending na...

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...