title: Clinical manifestations of aural fullness.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Even though aural fullness is ubiquitous among patients presenting to otolaryngology clinics, the association between aural fullness and disease development has not yet been clearly determined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our study was performed on outpatients from June 2006 to February 2010 whose major complaint was "ear fullness", "aural fullness", or "ear pressure". We assessed their demographic and clinical characteristics, including sex, associated diseases, symptoms, otoscopic findings, audiology test results, and final diagnoses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 432 patients, 165 (38.2%) were males and 267 (61.8%) were females, with mean ages of 42±19 years and 47±17 years, respectively. Tinnitus, hearing disturbance, autophony (p<0.01) as well as nasal obstruction and sore throat (p<0.05) showed a statistically significant correlation with aural fullness. Among patients who complained of hearing fullness, tests and measures such as impedance audiometry, speech reception threshold, and pure tone audiometry generated statistically significant results (p<0.05). Ear fullness was most frequently diagnosed as Eustachian tube dysfunction (28.9%), followed by otitis media with effusion (13.4%) and chronic otitis media (7.2%). However, 13.4% of patients could not be definitively diagnosed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among patients complaining of ear fullness, Eustachian tube dysfunction, otitis media with effusion, chronic otitis media were most commonly observed. Performance of otoscopy, nasal endoscopy, the Valsalva maneuver, and additional audiological tests is necessary to exclude other diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Moon Suh
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Ho Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ho Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Eun Woong
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Sun Kyu
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung Geun
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Yeo
mesh_terms: D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D005260:Female; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000150:complications; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology