Journal Reviews

Transtympanic plugging for chronic patulous eustachian tube

4 March 2024 | | Otology | Active opening, Eustachian tube dysfunction, Patulous Eustachian tube, Silicone plug, Sonotubometry

The authors developed a silicone plug (Kobayashi plug) to manage severe intractable patulous eustachian tube dysfunction (PET). This retrospective study investigates ET function after Kobayashi plug surgery, based on postoperative tympanic membrane (TM) findings and active opening (AO) of the...

B-Ent journal cover image.

Balloon eustachian tuboplasty and inferior turbinectomy

6 January 2023 | | Otology, Rhinology / Sinus | Balloon Eustachian tuboplasty, inferior turbinectomy, obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction, nasal obstruction, Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire-7

This Taiwanese prospective case-control study looked at concurrent inferior turbinectomy (via submucosal turbinectomy) and balloon eustachian tuboplasty on symptoms related to eustachian tube dysfunction. A total of 50 patients who underwent inferior turbinectomy with balloon eustachian tuboplasty were recruited prospectively...

Balloon Eustachian tuboplasty – is it time to start doing it in children?

3 May 2022 | | Rhinology / Sinus | BDET, Balloon dilation of eustachian tube, Children, Eustachian tube dysfunction

Given the potential applications for balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) in children, its uptake in most centres has been slow. The reasons for this are multifactorial. There are technical issues – the feasibility of obtaining the correct size balloon and manoeuvring...

Can obstructive snoring affect the snorer’s ears as well?

1 May 2018 | | Eustachian tube dysfunction, Obstructive sleep apnea, anterior rhinomanometry, mucociliary transport time

Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) often show severe nasal obstruction, chronic sinusitis and/or a deficit of nasal mucociliary clearance with nasopharyngeal stagnation of secretions possibly predisposing to eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD). This clinical prospective study investigates ETD, nasal resistance...

What is balloon eustachian tuboplasty (BET)?

1 May 2018 | | Eustachian tube dysfunction, adults, balloon dilation of the tuba auditiva, systematic review

Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is the result of a combination of factors that interfere with the mucosal functional or cartilaginous structures. Failure to open the eustachian tubes can cause aural pain, pressure in the ears, muffled hearing, crackling/popping sounds in...

Evidence for balloon eustachian tuboplasty

1 May 2015 | | Eustachian tube, Eustachian tube dysfunction, alloon Eustachian tuboplasty, otology, surgery, systematic review

Balloon eustachian tuboplasty is an emerging intervention aimed at the management of eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and its sequelae. The authors acknowledge that ETD is a common but frequently ill-defined problem, with no well-established direct treatment. They performed a systematic...