Balloon dilatation eustachian tuboplasty: a clinical study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the feasibility of balloon dilatation eustachian tuboplasty (BET) as an option for treatment of patients with eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction.


METHODS
Ethics approved case controlled interventional study.


METHODS
Eight patients were identified with poor ET function using a ET score and were assigned to the study. The endoscopic procedure involved the dilatation of the cartilaginous and bony portion of 13 ETs with a balloon catheter. Pre- and postinterventional computed tomography was performed. All patients were reassessed 1, 2, and 8 weeks after BET.


RESULTS
BET was technically easy to perform. No damage to essential structures, particularly the carotid canal, was found in the human study. Patients revealed a significant improvement of the ET score comparing pre- and the 2-month post-treatment results. Improvement was found to be time dependent.


CONCLUSIONS
This newly introduced method of BET was found to be a feasible and safe procedure to inflate the ET. It significantly helped to improve ET function in our study group. However, larger long-term studies are necessary to fully evaluate the clinical value of BET.
Ockermann
Thorsten
T
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Bielefeld Academic Teaching Hospital, Bielefeld, Germany.
Reineke
Ulf
U
Upile
Tahwinder
T
Ebmeyer
Jörg
J
Sudhoff
Holger H
HH
D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D000328:Adult; D002404:Catheterization; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D005064:Eustachian Tube; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed