Humans ; Eustachian Tube ; Otitis Media with Effusion/therapy* ; Child ; Consensus

Objective:To investigate the occurrence and managements of poor recovery after total endoscopic middle ear surgery. Methods:A total of 302 cases（315 ears） who underwent endoscopic middle ear surgery in our hospital from June 2020 to June 2021 were collected. Follow up by means of endoscopy, pure tone hearing threshold, tympanogram was conducted at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after surgery to analyze the incidence, possible causes, treatment strategies and effects of poor results tympanic membrane healing and hearing recovery. Results:Among 302 patients（315 ears） followed up, there were 28 cases with poor recovery. There were fourteen cases of poor eardrum healing, of which 10 cases achieved healing of eardrum after tympanic membrane patching in the outpatient department, with a success rate of about 71.4%. TM recurrence adhesion occurred in 4 cases after surgeries of cholesteatoma and adhesive otitis media. One case completely recovered after self eustachian tube insufflation, while 2 cases maintained the degree of eardrum subsidence, and one ineffective patient chose resurgical treatment, with an effective rate was 75.0%. Failure in hearing improvement occurred in 8 cases, all of which underwent second surgical exploration, and seven cases were improved after the second surgery, with an effective rate of 87.5%. Among the 8 patients with no improvement or aggravation of hearing loss after surgery, four cases had postoperative B-type or C-type of tympanogram, and the hearing could not improve after self eustachian tube insufflation for secondary surgical exploration. and the hearing improved after the secondary surgery. Incorrect orientation of ossicular prosthesis was accounted for another 2 cases, the hearing was improved after the ossicular orientation adjustment. One patient with lateral healing of TM and failed hearing recovery was corrected by a second operation. One case of tympanosclerosis underwent stapes release surgery, but hearing recovery still failed. One patient had recurrent postoperative cicatricial atresia of external auditory canal, and the patient was reluctant to undergo reoperation. Postoperative delayed facial paralysis occurred in 1 case, and the facial paralysis recovered recovered after conservative treatments. Conclusion:Eardrum patch and eustachian tube autoflation are simple and effective early outpatient treatment for patient with poor recovery. For those who failed with conservative treatments such as eardrum patch or eustachian tube and poor hearing recovery, the second surgical exploration is safe and effective. Regular follow up after endoscopic middle ear surgery is necessary for the managements of poor recovery.
Humans ; Ear, Middle/surgery* ; Female ; Male ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Tympanic Membrane/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Hearing Loss/surgery* ; Otologic Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Otitis Media/surgery* ; Eustachian Tube/surgery*

This paper reports the diagnosis and treatment of a child with eustachian hairy polyp. The patient was a female, aged 1 year and 4 months, and visited our clinic due to "intermittent purulent discharge of the left ear, nasal congestion and sleep snoring for 1 year". Preoperative endoscopic examination found white masses at the posterior part of the nasal cavity on both sides. The imaging findings showed masses with streaks and circular-like mixed signal accompanied by slightly uneven enhancement at the left eustachian duct and the posterior wall of the nasopharyngeal cavity, and soft tissue density in the left tympanic antrum. Left modified radical mastoidectomy and radical endoscopic resection surgery for nasopharyngeal tumors was performed under general anesthesia. Histopathological examination revealed polyp of the left eustachian tube hair. The patient's symptoms improved after surgery, and no tumor recurrence was found after 3 months of follow-up.
Humans ; Female ; Eustachian Tube/surgery* ; Polyps/surgery* ; Infant ; Endoscopy

Objective:This study was aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of tympanoplasty using auricular cartilage combined with balloon eustachian tuboplasty for the treatment of adhesive otitis media（adhesive otitis media, AdOM） under endoscopic. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 60 patients with unilateral adhesive otitis media who visited Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University between January 2017 and February 2022. All patients were divided into three groups: ①conservative treatment group;②simple tympanoplasty group; ③tympanoplasty combined with balloon dilation group（BET group）. All patients were regularly assessed for the improvement of tympanic membrane morphology, hearing, and Eustachian tube function, as well as complications, after treatment. Results:There was no significant improvement in eardrum morphology, hearing, or eustachian tube function in the conservative treatment group（P>0.05）; both the simple tympanoplasty group and the BET group showed significant improvements in eardrum morphology and hearing after surgery（P<0.01）; In terms of Eustachian tube function improvement, the BET group showed significantly greater improvements in Eustachian tube manometry（TMM） and Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire（ETDQ-7） scores compared to the tympanoplasty alone group（P<0.01）. Conclusion:Tympanoplasty using auricular cartilage combined with balloon eustachian tuboplasty shows good clinical outcomes in the treatment of adhesive otitis media, significantly ameliorating patients' subjective symptoms such as tinnitus and ear congestion after surgery, thereby improving the patient's quality of life.
Humans ; Eustachian Tube/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tympanoplasty/methods* ; Otitis Media/surgery* ; Ear Cartilage/surgery* ; Endoscopy ; Dilatation ; Treatment Outcome ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged

Patulous eustachian tube（PET） is an otolaryngological disorder caused by various factors, characterized by the loss of normal closure function of the eustachian tube in a resting state, resulting in persistent patency. Surgical treatment is recognized as an effective method for the management of refractory PET, but the surgical approaches for PET are diverse, with therapeutic outcomes varying significantly. The surgical procedure involving the occlusion of the tympanic ostium of the eustachian tube through the tympanic membrane, using specially designed silicone plugs, has shown excellent therapeutic outcomes. This minimally invasive procedure is considered highly safe and is considered as the preferred surgical option for patients with refractory PET. The purpose of this article is to review the current status and progress of endoscopic trans-tympanic eustachian tube plug implantation surgery in the treatment of patulous eustachian tube syndrome.
Humans ; Eustachian Tube/surgery* ; Endoscopy ; Tympanic Membrane/surgery* ; Ear Diseases/surgery*

Patients with patulous Eustachian tubes(PET) usually suffer from annoying symptoms, such as tinnitus, autophony and aural fullness, due to the excessive opening of the Eustachian tube. There is no uniform standard of treatment, and conservative therapy combined with"Stepup"surgical intervention strategy is the main treatment. In this article, we reviewed various surgical treatments of patulous Eustachian tube in recent years, including key points of surgical operation, effectiveness, safety and complications. Full communication and evaluation are needed to establish appropriate patients' expectations preoperatively. A "Stepup" treatment strategy will be carried out, including conservative treatment, tympanic membrane surgery, Eustachian tube pharyngeal orifice constriction surgery, Eustachian tube tympanic orifice plug surgery and Eustachian tube muscle surgery, which aims to maintain normal Eustachian tube function and good middle ear ventilation.
Humans ; Eustachian Tube/surgery* ; Ear Diseases/diagnosis* ; Ear, Middle ; Tympanic Membrane/surgery* ; Tinnitus ; Otitis Media

Objective: To summarize the clinical experience and treatment results of endoscopic transoral resection of metastatic retropharyngeal lymph nodes (MRPLN) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) via posteroinferior eustachian tube approach. Methods: The clinical data of 37 patients with NPC who underwent endoscopic transoral surgery via posteroinferior eustachian tube approach for MRPLN in Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University from 2010 to 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. There are 28 males and 9 females, aged from 31 to 72 years. The clinicopathological features such as gender, age, primary tumor stage, stage, side and size of MRPLN were recorded and analyzed. The surgical procedures of endoscopic transoral resection of MRPLN via posteroinferior eustachian tube approach were described. The MRPLN resection, perioperative complications and follow-up results were also summarized. Results: The primary tumors of 37 cases were determined as rT1 stage in 2 cases, rT2 stage in 30 cases and primary T2 stage in 5 cases in this study. There were 33 cases of unilateral MRPLN(89.2%), 4 cases of bilateral ones (10.8%), 36 cases in N1 stage, and 1 case in N3 stage. Single lymph node was detected in 23 cases(62.2%), and 2-5 lymph nodes in 14 cases(37.8%). Endoscopic transoral surgery via posteroinferior eustachian tube approach was completed in all cases. Total MRPLN resection was obtained in 35 cases (94.6%) with one-stage operation, and subtotal resection was achieved in 2 cases whose MRPLN involved the wall of internal carotid artery. No serious complications occurred in the perioperative period. During the follow-up period (median follow-up period 53.1 months), no recurrence of MRPLN was observed in patients who received total resection. And 8 patients (21.6%) died from different causes. Conclusion: Endoscopic transoral surgery via posteroinferior eustachian tube approach for MRPLN is a practicable and effective surgical option, but the long-term effect still needs longer follow-up and summary of bulk cases.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Eustachian Tube ; Retrospective Studies ; Lymph Nodes ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms

Objective: To establish a three-dimensional model of middle ear-eustachian tube based on Chinese digital visual human dataset, and the deformation and pressure changes of the middle ear-eustachian tube system after eustachian tube opening are simulated by computer numerical simulation. Methods: The first female Chinese Digital Visual Human data was adopted. The images were imported by Amira image processing software, and the images were segmented by Geomagic software to form a three-dimensional model of middle ear-eustachian tube system, including eustachian tube, tympanum, tympanic membrane, auditory ossicles, and mastoid air cells system. The 3D model was imported into Hypermesh software for meshing and analysis. The structural mechanics calculation was carried out by Abaqus, and gas flow was simulated by Xflow. The tissue deformation and middle ear pressure changes during eustachian tube opening were numerically simulated by fluid-solid coupling algorithm. Several pressure monitoring points including tympanum, mastoid, tympanic isthmus, and external auditory canal were set up in the model, and the pressure changes of each monitoring point were recorded and compared. Results: In this study, a three-dimensional model of middle ear-eustachian tube and a numerical simulation model of middle ear ventilation were established, including eustachian tube, tympanum, mastoid air cells, tympanic membrane, and auditory ossicles. The dynamic changes of the model after ventilation could be divided into five stages according to the pressure. In addition, the pressure changes of tympanum and tympanic isthmus were basically synchronous, and the pressure changes of mastoid air cells system were later than that of tympanum and tympanic isthmus, which verified the pressure buffering effect of mastoid. The extracted pressure curve of the external auditory canal was basically consistent with that of tympanometry in terms of value and trend, which verified the effectiveness of the model. Conclusions: The numerical simulation model of middle ear-eustachian tube ventilation established in this paper can simulate the tissue deformation and middle ear pressure changes after eustachian tube opening, and its accuracy and effectiveness are also verified. This not only lays a foundation for further research, but also provides a new research method for the study of middle ear ventilation.
China ; Ear, Middle ; Eustachian Tube ; Female ; Human Body ; Humans ; Middle Ear Ventilation

Choristoma/surgery* ; Ear Diseases/surgery* ; Eustachian Tube ; Face ; Humans

Objective: In order to assess ET more comprehensively, sonotubometry (STM)combined with CT images were applied to investigate the opening features of eustachian tube (ET) in normal subjects. STM was also used as a monitor training ET opening maneuver and optimizing CT scan parameters. Methods: Following ET opening training monitored by STM, STM data of ET opening duration and maximum sound pressure from 13 healthy volunteers (10 males and 3 females, 22 to 26 years old) were acquired using maneuvers of swallowing and Valsalva in standing and supine positions. Two trials of CT scan, setting A (slice thickness 6.0 mm, manually simulated to 0.6 mm, reconstruction thickness 0.6 mm) for normal and Valsalva scans and setting B(slice thickness 0.4 mm,reconstruction thickness 0.4 mm)for Valsalva scan, were conducted in each subject. The bone area and cartilage area of ET were measured respectively in reconstructed CT images. Statistical software SPSS 19.0 was employed in data analysis. Results: The duration of ET opening and maximum sound pressure by Valsalva were longer and stronger than those by swallowing in both positions. For Valsalva maneuver, standing position resulted in longer ET opening duration compared to supine position (P<0.05). Under setting A, ET cartilage area was measured larger by Valsalva scan than by normal scan (P<0.05). By Valsalva scan, setting A captured larger ET cartilage area compared to setting B (P<0.05). CT setting B resulted in longer scan time in comparison to setting A (P<0.05). Conclusions: Techniques of STM in supine position plus CT scan under setting A can be combined by Valsalva passive ET opening. Not only the invisible ET lumen through routine CT scan can be illustrated, but also relevant ET open-close process is shown, therefore, this study provides the technique for ET research of function and structure.
Adult ; Deglutition ; Eustachian Tube/diagnostic imaging* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Valsalva Maneuver ; Young Adult