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On the origin of ear clicks during deglutition or pressure equalization

  • Otology
  • Published:
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Abstract

To explore the origin of clicking sounds in the ear during deglutition or other pharyngeal movements, which are interpreted differently in the literature. Experimental study at a tertiary referral centre. Acoustic phenomena during a forced opening test of the Eustachian tube (ET) were studied in a temporal bone model. Additionally, in vivo experiments were carried out in healthy volunteers for ruling out movements of the ossicular chain or the drumhead as potential causes of clicks. Thus, acoustic recordings were performed parallel to stapedius or tensor reflex measurements or pneumatic video endoscopies of the tympanic membrane. Obviously the acoustic signals (clicks) appear when the tube opens, which could be visualized and acoustically recorded during forced opening tests in temporal bone experiments. Middle ear muscle contractions with movements of the tympanic membrane did not cause any click events. Together with the results of a previous paper (9) we interpret the clicks as disruptions of fluid or mucus films covering the mucosa during the ET opening. The final goal of our studies is to use such clicks as indicators of ET openings in a new tube function test, which has to be elaborated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, “Otto Koerner”, Rostock University Medical Center, Doberaner Str. 137-9, 18057, Rostock, Germany

    Hans Wilhelm Pau, Karsten Ehrt, Attila Ovari & Robert Mlynski

  2. ENT Department, Military Hospital, Hamburg, Germany

    Hans-Georg Fischer

Authors
  1. Hans Wilhelm Pau
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  2. Karsten Ehrt
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  3. Hans-Georg Fischer
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  4. Attila Ovari
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  5. Robert Mlynski
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hans Wilhelm Pau.

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The study involves human participants, in whom informed content was obtained.

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Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest: None of the authors has any conflicts of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Pau, H.W., Ehrt, K., Fischer, HG. et al. On the origin of ear clicks during deglutition or pressure equalization. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 273, 4267–4271 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-016-4178-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-016-4178-z

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