title: Eustachian tube function in patients receiving continuous positive airway pressure treatment for sleep apnea syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  we evaluated eustachian tube (ET) function in patients using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).
  
  
  METHODS
  cross-sectional clinical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  tertiary referral centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  the study included 51 patients (102 ears) with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), with a mean age of 51.2 years, who were using CPAP (study group) and 48 patients (96 ears) with OSAS, with a mean age of 36.0 years, who were not using CPAP (control group). ET function in the study and control groups was evaluated using the automatic Toynbee test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the mean middle ear pressure was significantly higher in the left ear than the right ear in patients using CPAP (p = .008). The mean middle ear pressure in the right ear was significantly higher in the control group than in the group using CPAP (p = .030). There was no significant difference in functional or nonfunctional ET in the left or right ears of the patients who were or were not using CPAP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CPAP therapy had no effect on the ET function of patients who had received CPAP therapy for a minimum of 6 months. Awareness of the effects of CPAP on the physiologic processes relevant to the upper respiratory tract will allow a better understanding and management of its side effects and may enhance patient compliance with therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinology and Head and Neck Surgery, Haseki Research and Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fadlullah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.forename: Yavuz Selim
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Yıldırım
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozturan
authors.forename: Bayram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Veyseller
authors.forename: CağLar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cuhadaroğlu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005064:Eustachian Tube / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy