title: Value and discriminative power of the seven-item Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obstructive eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction is a common condition associated with various otologic symptoms. The current lack of a diagnostic gold standard makes diagnosis and evaluation at follow-up difficult. The aim of the study was to determine the value and discriminative power of the seven-item Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire (ETDQ-7) in patients with obstructive ET dysfunction and patulous ET.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnostic test study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ETDQ-7 was completed by 39 patients with obstructive ET dysfunction, eight patients with patulous ET, and 22 healthy controls. The internal consistency was evaluated using the Cronbach α coefficient. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was determined as an accuracy measure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean ETDQ-7 total score was 9.91 in the control group, 25.77 in the patients with obstructive ET dysfunction, and 27 in the patulous ET group. The Cronbach α coefficient was 0.795 in the obstructive ET group and 0.72 in the patulous ET group, demonstrating adequate reliability. The area under the curve in ROC analysis for the obstructive ET group was 95% and 96% for the patulous ET dysfunction group, which confirms its excellent discriminant validity toward the healthy control group. However, the ETDQ-7 cannot discriminate between obstructive ET dysfunction and patulous ET.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ETDQ-7 can be a useful disease-specific rating scale for ET dysfunction but is unable to discriminate between patients with obstructive ET dysfunction and patulous ET.
  
  
  METHODS
  3b.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.|Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Shari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Roeyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.|Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van de Heyning
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.|Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Van Rompaey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005064:Eustachian Tube; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014177:Translations; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire-7; Eustachian tube; questionnaires