Balloon Eustachian Tuboplasty for Patients With Chronic Eustachian Tube Dysfunction: A Novel Method for Iranian Samples Publisher



Mohamadi M^{1, 2} ; Zarandy MM^{1, 2} ; Ardehali MM^{1, 2} ; Zarandy MM^{1, 2}
Source: Auditory and Vestibular Research Published:2020

Abstract

Background and Aim: Balloon eustachian tub-oplasty (BET) is a recently developed and approved method for management of chronic eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD). In the present study we aimed to evaluate the safety and effi-cacy of this method in Iranian samples. Methods: In this prospective case-series study, we included 15 adult patients with chronic ETD who were resistant to previous medical manage-ments and/or ventilation tube use. All patients underwent baseline audiometry (pure tone audio-metry and tympanometry), Valsalva maneuver, EDT questionnaire-7 (ETDQ-7), and physical examination. Three to six months after the BET procedure, all patients underwent four evaluation methods again. Results: We found a significant improvement in the mean ETDQ-7 scores comparing pre-and post-test scores (p < 0.0001). There was also a statistically significant decrease in the average air-bone gap from 40.55 at baseline to 27.22 after treatment (p < 0.001). In the Valsalva test, 17 out of 18 study ears (92.3%) had a positive result after the surgery. Under tympanographic evalu-ation, 9 ears (50%) reported a conversion from type B to type A after treatment, 2 ears (11%) had a conversion from type B to C, and 7 ears (39%) showed no any change and stayed in type B after BET. Conclusion: As a novel method in Iran, BET can be an alternative safe treatment option for chronic ETD. © 2020, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.