INTRODUCTION The incidence of lipoma in the Eustachian tube is very rare, and to the best of our knowledge, has not been reported in the literature. Tumors that form in the cartilaginous portion of the Eustachian tube can be successfully removed by an endoscopic approach. CASE PRESENTATION We report an incidentally-detected lipoma of the Eustachian tube in a 34-year-old Asian woman with a six...

BACKGROUND Application of one or several paper patches on the tympanic membrane can improve autophony and other symptoms in some patients with a patulous eustachian tube. METHOD The charts of 21 patients treated for patulous eustachian tube syndrome between 2006 and 2011 were studied for subjective improvement of symptoms following the application of paper patches. RESULTS Paper patching of...

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...

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...

The patulous, or nonclosing, eustachian tube is believed to affect as many as 7 percent of all adults, causing physical and psychological difficulties. This paper provides a brief review of the literature regarding the patulous eustachian tube (PET), its symptoms, precipitating conditions, incidence, diagnosis, and current medical management. Several case studies are also presented to illustrat...

The Eustachian tube is a small canal that connects the tympanic cavity with the nasal part of the pharynx. The epithelial lining of the Eustachian tube contains a ciliated columnar epithelium at the tympanic cavity and a pseudostratified, ciliated columnar epithelium with goblet cells near the pharynx. The tube serves to equalize air pressure across the eardrum and drains mucus away from the mi...