Mucosal folds of eustachian tube in young children.
Differences in the extent of mucosal folding in the superior versus the inferior half of the human Eustachian tube (ET) were studied in young children by measuring the length of the mucosal margin and counting the number of mucosal folds, as they appeared in histological cross-sections, in the pharyngeal, midcartilaginous, isthmus, and osseous portions of each half of the ET in 12 normal ET/temporal bone specimens from 12 individuals aged 1 day to 2 years. The mucosal margin of the ET was significantly longer in the inferior half than in the superior half in the pharyngeal, midcartilaginous, and isthmus portions (paired t-test, pharyngeal portion: t[11] = 3.71, p < 0.01; midcartilaginous portion: t[11] = 4.52, p < 0.01; isthmus portion: t[11] = 3.40, p < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference between in the inferior half and in the superior half at the osseous portion. Also there were significantly more mucosal folds in the inferior half than in the superior half in all four portions (paired t-test, pharyngeal portion: t[11] = 3.46, p < 0.01; midcartilaginous portion: t[11] = 7.40, p < 0.01; isthmus portion: t[11] = 5.03, p < 0.01; osseous portion: t[11] = 4.49, p < 0.01). These results indicate that the surface area of the mucosa in the inferior half of the ET is larger than that of the superior half.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Aoki
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Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA.
Sando
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Takahashi
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D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000502:physiology; D005064:Eustachian Tube / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010784:Photomicrography; D013701:Temporal Bone