Miriam S Teixeira1, Juliane Banks2, J Douglas Swarts2, Cuneyt M Alper2, William J Doyle2. 1. Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Electronic address: teixeirams@upmc.edu. 2. Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Test the hypothesis that active Eustachian tube opening efficiency as measured by sonotubometry is higher in adults with no extant middle-ear disease and no history of previous otitis media (Group-1) when compared to adults with no middle-ear disease but a positive history for otitis media (Group-2). METHODS: Eustachian tube function for 1 ear of 33 otherwise healthy adult subjects, 16 assigned to Group-1 and 17 to Group-2, was tested by sonotubometry using a standard protocol. For each test, the sound envelopes for 3 swallows were abstracted independently by 2 observers from the data stream and 7 descriptive parameters related to sound envelope "shape" were calculated. Inter-relatedness among the values for the parameters was explored using correlation analysis. The contributions of swallow, observer and group to the variance in each parameter were evaluated for significance using a General Linear Model. RESULTS: The shape parameters reflecting envelope height, area and rise and fall rates were highly inter-correlated, but those reflecting envelope widths were not. There was no effect of "swallow" on any of the parameters; but there was a significant "observer" effect on all measures of envelope width, greater for observer-2, and a significant "group" effect for 5 of the 7 shape parameters, all greater in Group-1. CONCLUSIONS: Quantifiable measures of the sound signal "shape" recorded by sonotubometry during swallowing were significantly different between the 2 groups of subjects. This is interpretable as evidencing a more efficient Eustachian tube opening-function in adults with healthy middle ears who do not have a previous history of otitis media when compared to similar adults with a history of prior otitis media. Inefficient Eustachian tube function as children may not be completely resolved by adulthood increasing adult otitis media risk when Eustachian tube function is down-graded by extant upper respiratory diseases that provoke nasopharyngeal inflammation.
OBJECTIVE: Test the hypothesis that active Eustachian tube opening efficiency as measured by sonotubometry is higher in adults with no extant middle-ear disease and no history of previous otitis media (Group-1) when compared to adults with no middle-ear disease but a positive history for otitis media (Group-2). METHODS: Eustachian tube function for 1 ear of 33 otherwise healthy adult subjects, 16 assigned to Group-1 and 17 to Group-2, was tested by sonotubometry using a standard protocol. For each test, the sound envelopes for 3 swallows were abstracted independently by 2 observers from the data stream and 7 descriptive parameters related to sound envelope "shape" were calculated. Inter-relatedness among the values for the parameters was explored using correlation analysis. The contributions of swallow, observer and group to the variance in each parameter were evaluated for significance using a General Linear Model. RESULTS: The shape parameters reflecting envelope height, area and rise and fall rates were highly inter-correlated, but those reflecting envelope widths were not. There was no effect of "swallow" on any of the parameters; but there was a significant "observer" effect on all measures of envelope width, greater for observer-2, and a significant "group" effect for 5 of the 7 shape parameters, all greater in Group-1. CONCLUSIONS: Quantifiable measures of the sound signal "shape" recorded by sonotubometry during swallowing were significantly different between the 2 groups of subjects. This is interpretable as evidencing a more efficient Eustachian tube opening-function in adults with healthy middle ears who do not have a previous history of otitis media when compared to similar adults with a history of prior otitis media. Inefficient Eustachian tube function as children may not be completely resolved by adulthood increasing adult otitis media risk when Eustachian tube function is down-graded by extant upper respiratory diseases that provoke nasopharyngeal inflammation.
Authors: William J Doyle; Ellen M Mandel; James T Seroky; J Douglas Swarts; Margaretha L Casselbrant Journal: Otol Neurotol Date: 2013-01 Impact factor: 2.311
Authors: William J Doyle; J Douglas Swarts; Julianne Banks; Margaretha L Casselbrant; Ellen M Mandel; Cuneyt M Alper Journal: JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg Date: 2013-07 Impact factor: 6.223
Authors: Miriam S Teixeira; Cuneyt M Alper; Brian S Martin; Brendan M Cullen Doyle; William J Doyle Journal: Laryngoscope Date: 2015-07-07 Impact factor: 3.325
Authors: Ellen M Mandel; Margaretha L Casselbrant; Beverly C Richert; Miriam S Teixeira; J Douglas Swarts; William J Doyle Journal: Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg Date: 2015-12-01 Impact factor: 3.497
Authors: Matthew E Smith; Yemisi Takwoingi; Jon Deeks; Cuneyt Alper; Manohar L Bance; Mahmood F Bhutta; Neil Donnelly; Dennis Poe; James R Tysome Journal: PLoS One Date: 2018-11-08 Impact factor: 3.240