OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of endoscopic cartilage underlay myringoplasty(CNM) with or without balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) for the treatment of chronic perforation with Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD).
METHODS: A total of 50 ears diagnosed with chronic perforation and ETD were randomly divided into receiving alone CNM and CNM + BET. During the 12 months follow-up, the Eustachian tube score (ETS), Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire-7 (ETDQ-7), ET inflammation scale, hearing results and graft success rate of the patients were recorded and analyzed.
RESULTS: The improvement in the ETDQ-7 score was 6.23 ± 2.51 in the CNM + BET group, which was significantly higher than that in the CNM group (4.22 ± 3.85, P < 0.01) at postoperative 3 months, however, no significant between-group difference was found at post-12 months.The graft success rate was 88.0 % in the CNM group and 92.0 % in the CNM + BET group at postoperative 3 months (P > 0.05). Also, no significant difference was found among two groups (84.0 % vs 88.0 %, P > 0.05).The ABG improvement was 13.16 ± 3.19 dB in the CNM + BET group and 9.74 ± 2.56 dB in the CNM group, with a statistically significant between-group difference (P < 0.01)at postoperative 3 months. However, no significant between-group difference was found at postoperative 12 months. During followup process, neither complications nor patulous symptoms were noted. No patients developted atelectasis or otitis media with effusion. However, myringitis was seen in 8 % patients in the CNM group and 12 % patients in the CNM + BET group.
CONCLUSIONS: Although BET combined with endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty had better short-term improvement of hearing and ETDQ-7 scores compared with endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty for the treatment of chronic large perforation with ETD, the long-term outcomes was not satisfactory. Also, BET did not improve the 3-and 12 months graft success rate.

Objective:To investigate the changes in hearing threshold of the acquired primary cholesteatoma of the middle ear with different degrees of eustachian tube dysfunction after balloon eustachian tuboplasty. Methods:This retrospective study included forty cases with middle ear cholesteatoma and eustachian tube dysfunction who underwent open mastoidectomy + tympanoplasty + balloon eustachian tuboplasty were enrolled. All patients were admitted from November 2020 to April 2022. The preoperative eustachian tube score of 0-2 were defined as the lower group, and the scores of 3-5 were defined as the higher group. Pure tone audiometry was measured preoperatively and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. The average value of bone conduction threshold and air conduction threshold of 250-4 000 Hz were calculated, and the air-bone gap was calculated simultaneously. SPSS 25.0 was used for statistical analysis. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:In the lower group, the air conduction threshold and air-bone gap at 3 months postoperatively were significantly decreased in comparison with those preoperatively（P<0.05），as was the air-bone gap at 6 months postoperatively（P<0.05）. In the higher group, the air conduction threshold and air-bone gap were significantly decreased at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively（P<0.05）. Conclusion:The air conduction threshold and air-bone gap of patients with the acquired primary cholesteatoma of the middle ear and eustachian tube dysfunction were significantly decreased after eustachian tube balloon dilatation. Hearing improvement lasted longer in patients with slight eustachian tube dysfunction.
目的：探讨咽鼓管功能障碍程度不同的后天原发性中耳胆脂瘤患者行咽鼓管球囊扩张术后的听力变化情况。 方法：回顾性分析2020年11月至2022年4月行开放式乳突切开+鼓室成形+咽鼓管球囊扩张术的后天原发性中耳胆脂瘤伴咽鼓管功能障碍患者40例，术前咽鼓管评分为0～2分者为低分组，3～5分者为高分组。分别于术前、术后1、3、6及12个月测量患者纯音听阈，计算250～4 000 Hz骨导听阈、气导听阈平均值，并计算气骨导差。通过SPSS 25.0进行统计学分析，以P<0.05表示差异有统计学意义。 结果：低分组术后3个月时的气导听阈和气骨导差较术前降低（P<0.05），术后6个月的气骨导差较术前降低（P<0.05）。高分组术后3、6和12个月的气导听阈和气骨导差较术前降低（P<0.05）。 结论：后天原发性中耳胆脂瘤伴咽鼓管功能障碍患者行咽鼓管球囊扩张治疗后，气导听阈和气骨导差较术前明显改善，咽鼓管功能障碍程度较轻的患者听力改善维持时间更持久。.

OBJECTIVE: Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is frequent in children with adenoid hypertrophy (AH). Although the most common treatment of AH is surgical removal of adenoid tissue, numerous studies have reported the efficacy of intranasal steroids. The effects of the intranasal steroid and azelastine combination on AH and ETD have not been reported before. In this study, we tried to determine the effects of 3-month intranasal Azelastine-Fluticasone dipropionate combination (Aze-Flu) treatment in children with ETD and AH.
METHODS: 100 children who had open mouth sleep, snoring, and sleep apnea and were diagnosed with AH and ETD participated in this study. The mean age was 7.73 ± 2.37 (4-14 years). The rates of adenoid tissue hypertrophy and choanal occlusion were evaluated using a rigid pediatric nasal endoscope and reassessed after 3 months of Aze-Flu nasal spray treatment. The function of the Eustachian tube (ET) was evaluated before and after medical treatment using the Eustachian tube score, the Eustachian dysfunction test-7 (ETS-7) and tubomanometry (TMM).
RESULTS: The results were evaluated in 100 patients with AH and ETD. The adenoid tissue to choana rate was 82% before treatment and decreased to 37% after treatment. The ETS-7 test score was 6.36 before treatment and increased to 9.72 at the end of 3 months. Both the regression of the adenoid tissue and the improvement in the Eustachian function scores were statistically significant (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: AH significantly increases the frequency of ETD. In this study, it was observed that Aze-Flu treatment was significantly effective in both regression of the adenoid tissue and Eustachian tube dysfunction. We believe that it can be applied as an initial therapy in children with AH and associated ETD.

OBJECTIVE: Balloon dilatation of the Eustachian tube (BDET) is an option for treating chronic obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction (COETD). In this prospective multicentric study, the main objective was to evaluate the results of BDET in unilateral COETD refractory to medical treatment.
METHODS: Adults with unilateral COETD whose Eustachian Tube Score (ETS) was less than 5 despite medical pressure therapy were included. The primary endpoint was the change in ETS measured at 2, 6, and 12 months after BDET. Secondary objectives were the evolution of clinical symptoms assessed by the Eustachian Tube Questionnaire (ETDQ-7), audiometry, tympanometry, and otoscopy changes after BDET.
RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients were included between May 2014 and December 2017 and were treated with BDET without adverse effects in three different referral centers. Population\'s median age was 52 (Q25; Q75: 24, 82) years. The median follow-up time was 381 (Q25; Q75: 364; 418) days. The median ETS was 2 (Q25; Q75: 1; 4) before BDET. There was a significant improvement in ETS at 2 and 6 months and 1 year after BDET (score at 1 year: 6 (Q25; Q75: 2; 8) (p < 0.0001)). There was a significant, sustained improvement in the ETDQ-7 with a score of 4.21 (Q25; Q75-3.50; 4.79) before BDET and 3.43 (Q25; Q75-2.43; 4.14) (p = 0.0012) at 1 year. There was a suggestive improvement in tympanometry results at 1 year (p = 0.025).
CONCLUSIONS: BDET provides an improvement in symptoms and objective measures assessed at 1 year in patients with COETD who have failed medical treatment.
BACKGROUND: NCT02123277 (April 25, 2014).

OBJECTIVE: Tubomanometry (TMM) and the seven-item Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire (ETDQ-7) was integrated to establish the Tubomanometry Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire (T-ETDQ), and its reliability, potential clinical application, and diagnostic value for Eustachian tube function were investigated.
METHODS: This prospective diagnostic study included patients visiting the ENT Department of our Hospital, between April and June 2021. Patients were grouped into Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and control groups according to tympanometry diagnosis results. The diagnostic value of the T-ETDQ was evaluated using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.
RESULTS: There were 48 patients with Obstructive ETD and 24 patients without. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of T-ETDQ was 0.898 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.826-0.969), and the highest sensitivity and specificity were 76.7% and 86.7% respectively when the positive cutoff value was 4.72. The AUC of Eustachian tube score (ETS) was 0.731 (95% CI 0.625-0.837) and the highest sensitivity and specificity were 48.3% and 90.0% respectively when the positive cut-off value was 4.5. The ETS and T-ETDQ had kappa values of 0.311 and 0.585, respectively (P < 0.001 for both), showing both methods were comparable to tympanometry; however, T-ETDQ had more consistent results than ETS.
CONCLUSIONS: T-ETDQ can effectively quantify and evaluate ETD severity in adults, has a higher diagnostic value than ETS, making it a suitable diagnostic tool.

BACKGROUND: To our knowledge, few papers have addressed preoperative evaluation of the impact of adenoid hypertrophy (AH) on the pathogenesis of eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) in children with otitis media with effusion (OME).
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was 2-fold: first, to evaluate ETD using tubomanometry and Eustachian Tube Score 7 (ETS-7), in a group of children having AH; second, to assess the clinical impact of adenoidectomy on the ETD of these patients.
METHODS: Fifty patients, aged 4 to 15 years, underwent adenoidectomy based on various parameters: size of the adenoids causing canal obstruction (grades 1-4), the presence of OME, and recurrent episodes of rhinosinusitis. The function of the eustachian tube was evaluated using ETS-7 before and after surgical treatment. The patients were followed up for 6 months.
RESULTS: Forty children presented ETD. Of these, 36 had a grade 4 AH. The preoperative mean value for ETS-7 was 6.62. The mean postoperative ETS-7 score showed a value of 9.60 with a statistical difference compared to the preoperative value (P = .0015).
CONCLUSIONS: Adenoid hypertrophy has a high impact on the frequency of ETD. In the patients observed in the present study, the ETS-7 score appeared to be a valid tool for assessing ETD both preoperatively and postoperatively. Adenoidectomy seemed to be effective in improving ETD as well as middle ear ventilation.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility of Eustachian tube pressure measurement after tympanic membrane placement and the timing of postoperative tube removal. Method:A total of 108 patients（202 ears） with chronic otitis media with effusion（OME）were enrolled. All patients underwent tympanostomy（T-tube） or with adenoidectomy. Eustachian tube pressure measurement（TMM） was performed preoperatively and postoperatively, and the Eustachian tube score（ETS-5） was recorded before and 6 and 12 months after surgery and statistical analysis was performed. Result:There was a statistically significant difference between the preoperative ETS-5 scores at 6, 12, and 18 months after surgery. There was no significant difference between the 12 months and 18 months after surgery. There was no significant difference in the recurrence rate of OME in patients with tympanic membrane indwelling time of 12 months and 18 months, but the rate of perforation was 18 months. Conclusion:The tympanic ventilation tube helps the recovery of the Eustachian tube function. The TMM examination is simple and non-invasive. It is suitable for the evaluation of the timing of the tympanic ventilation tube. The tympanic membrane is suitable for tube removal after 12 months of indwelling.
目的：探讨鼓膜置管术后咽鼓管压力测定（TMM）评估咽鼓管功能转归及术后取管时机的可行性。 方法：108例（202耳）慢性分泌性中耳炎（OME）患儿均行鼓膜置管术（T型通气管）或伴同期腺样体切除术。术前、术后均定期进行TMM，并记录术前及术后6、12、18个月咽鼓管功能评分量表（ETS-5）并进行统计学分析。 结果：术前ETS-5评分与术后6、12、18个月比较均差异有统计学意义，术后12个月与18个月相比差异无统计学意义。鼓膜置管留置时间12个月和18个月的患儿OME的复发率差异无统计学意义，但留置18个月的穿孔率高。 结论：鼓膜通气管有助于咽鼓管功能恢复，TMM检查操作简便且无创，适用于术后鼓膜通气管取管时机的评估，术后鼓膜置管留置12个月时宜于取管。.

Background: The potential influence of Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) on the efficacy of tympanoplasty is controversial.Objective: This study aims to investigate the correlation between Eustachian tube function (ETF) and outcomes of type I tympanoplasty for chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM).Materials and Methods: 53 patients with CSOM and receiving type I tympanoplasty were divided into a dysfunction group (Eustachian tube score; ETS ≤ 5points) and a normal group (ETS > 5 points) according to their preoperative ETS. During the one-year follow-up, the ETS, hearing results, and eardrum condition of the patients were recorded and analyzed.Results: The ETS improved significantly from 2.57 (±1.73SD) to 4.68 (±2.00SD), while the mean air-bone gap (ABG) decreased significantly from 20.94 (±9.04SD) dB to 16.43 (±9.06SD) dB in the dysfunction group (p < .05). The postoperative ABG showed no significant difference in the two groups. The healing rate of the tympanic membrane was 96.43% in the dysfunction group, and 100% in the normal group.Conclusions and significance: The ETF was significantly improved after type I tympanoplasty for CSOM combined with ETD, and the postoperative efficacy was not adversely affected. The ETD may not influence the outcomes of type I tympanoplasty for CSOM.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) combined with grommet insertion in the treatment of chronic dilation Eustachian tube dysfunction (CDETD).
METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in 19 patients with CDETD who underwent BET at the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, from October, 2014 to September, 2016. The ages of these patients ranged from 10 to 67 years. All the patients underwent the preoperative assessment of oto-endoscope, tympanometry, pure tone audiometry, fiber nasopharyngeal endoscopy, Eustachian tube pressure measurement (TMM), CT and MRI. These patients had failed to respond to medicine, multiple tympanic membrane puncture and at least 2 times grommet insertion before our study. BET was performed in 5 patients (5 ears), and BET+grommet insertionwas performed in other 14 patients (23 ears). The changes of Eustachian tube function in these patients was assessed using the Eustachian tube score (ETS) and Eustachian tube dysfunction questionnaire-7 (ETDQ-7) preoperatively and 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after surgery, respectively. In addition, subjective symptoms including the difficulty level of valsalva, aural fullness and earache were assessed by visual rating scale (VAS score) preoperatively and at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery. The mean scores before surgery were compared with that at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Postoperative adverse reactions and complications were recorded, such as earache, nosebleeding and so on.
RESULTS: Valsalva score and VAS score for aural fullness before surgery were 8.286±0.189 and 8.571±0.221, respectively. Valsalva score and VAS score for aural fullness were 3.714±0.317, 2.393±0.434, respectively, at one month after surgery, which were decreased significantly, as compared with the scores before surgery (P<0.05). VAS score at 6 months and 12 months after surgery were statistically significant compared with those before surgery (P<0.05). ETS score after surgery was significantly higher than that before surgery (P<0.05). ETDQ-7 score after surgery was significantly lower than that before surgery (P<0.05). The subjective satisfaction in these patients was 84.2%.
CONCLUSIONS: BET is simple and safe, with fewer complications, and effective for the treatment of CDETD combined with grommet insertion.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the Eustachian tube functionality in a group of aviators to underline a subclinical dysfunction and the related risk of ear fullness or barotitis. Hypobaric chamber allows to simulate the pressure variation of the flight. This prospective study enrolled 42 aviation pilots, members of the Italian Air Force, to whom were evaluated Eustachian tube functionality by Tubomanometry, patients subjective assessments concerning feasibility of Valsalva\'s and Toynbee\'s clinical symptoms, tympanometry, and objective Valsalva before and after exposure to hypobaric chamber. The new Eustachian tube score (ETS-7) was also calculated for each pilot before and after exposure to hypobaric chamber. Results of our examination showed that: before chamber exposition, in 92.8 % of pilots, an ETS-7 of eight or more was found bilaterally. In three (7.2 %) cases, a unilateral ETS-7 ≤ 7 was found and two of those had a positive history. After undergoing the hypobaric chamber session, the evaluation of ETS-7 showed only 19 % of pilots with an ETD score ≤7, in particular three bilateral and five unilateral cases. Three of those pilots were clinically positive: two airmen reported persistent fullness, while the other one had a barotitis. Therefore, the combined use of TMM and ETS-7 before and after hypobaric chamber exposure appears to be a reliable method for assessing the functional capacity of the Eustachian tube in aviators, the stressful effect of flight on it, to exclude subjects at increased risk of ear pain, fullness, or barotrauma.