title: Opening plugged tympanostomy tubes: effect of inner diameter and shaft length.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether tympanostomy tube (TT) inner diameter or shaft length impacts the rate of mucoid plug clearance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ex vivo model. Silicone TTs with different inner-diameters (ID) and shaft-length (SL) pairings (1.14 mm ID x 12 mm SL versus 1.14 mm ID x 1 mm SL; 1.14 mm ID x 4.8 mm SL versus 1.32 mm ID x 4.8 mm SL) were plugged with middle-ear mucus (n = 15 per group) and placed in a model ear chamber. Ofloxacin otic solution was instilled into the chamber to cover the plugged TT, and the time to clearance of each plug was recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TTs with larger IDs ( P = 0.019) and greater SLs ( P = 0.033) cleared plugs more rapidly. However, the difference in the percentage of tubes that unplugged was not significant ( P = 0.151).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rate of ex vivo TT plug clearance may be altered by changing TT ID and SL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610-0264, USA.
authors.forename: Ajay J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Antonelli
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007322:Instillation, Drug; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008954:Models, Biological; D015242:Ofloxacin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion; D019999:Pharmaceutical Solutions; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D019999:Pharmaceutical Solutions; D015242:Ofloxacin