Abstract
This study aims to explore the eardrum thickening approach via cartilage myringoplasty for the cessation of symptoms of patulous Eustachian tube (PET), including autophony, aural fullness and breathing synchronous tinnitus. A total of 12 patients who met the diagnosis criteria of PET were included and given an eardrum patching test preoperatively. Then, myringoplasty with ipsilateral full-thickness tragus cartilage under general anesthesia was performed. All patients were followed up for at least 6 months postoperatively. Gross movements of the eardrum under deep respiration disappeared and symptoms were relieved in all patients during the patching test and at 1 month after surgery. All patients were followed up for a length that varied from 6 months to 5 years postoperatively, which demonstrated sustained satisfactory symptom cessation. PET symptoms may have been possibly caused by the gross outward movements of the acoustic transmission system. The eardrum thickening approach via myringoplasty with full-thickness tragus cartilage can be an accessible choice for PET with permanent satisfactory control of symptoms. Furthermore, the preoperative patching test could be a valid way to predict the outcome of the surgery.
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This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81371082).
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There is not any conflict of financial interest in this research.
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All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Health Ethics Committee of Sun Yat-Sen University and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Y. Si and Y. Chen contributed to this work equally.
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Si, Y., Chen, Y., Li, P. et al. Eardrum thickening approach for the treatment of patulous Eustachian tube. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 273, 3673–3678 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-016-4022-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-016-4022-5