Growth of the eustachian tube lumen with age.

We undertook measurements of the lumina of 115 eustachian tubes of various ages. Our results showed that, like any other body organ, the eustachian tube lumen grows with age. The cartilaginous part of the eustachian tube was found to grow considerably more than the bony part. These findings, which were statistically confirmed, appear to contradict the theory ascribing the high incidence of acute otitis media in children to an enhanced susceptibility to infection due to their having a wider eustachian tube than adults.