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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
Symptom Assessment of Patients with Allergic Rhinitis Using an Allergen Exposure Chamber
Published on: March 3, 2023
Late-phase allergy and eustachian tube dysfunction
S M Hardy1, S B Heavner, D R White
1Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-7070, USA. hardys@med.unc.edu
Objective:
This study investigated the role of late-phase allergy in the development of otitis media with effusion.
Methods:
Brown Norway rats were sensitized to ovalbumin and later challenged transtympanically. Eustachian tube ventilatory function was assessed 2, 4, 8, 24, 28, and 32 hours postchallenge by measuring passive opening and closing pressures, active clearance of positive and negative middle ear pressure, and mucociliary clearance.
Results:
The results demonstrate that exposure to transtympanic allergen induces eustachian tube dysfunction and subsequent formation of effusion. Allergic animals showed significant increases in passive and active opening pressures, as well as a decreased ability to actively clear middle ear pressure. Finally, the mucociliary was significantly impaired in all sensitized rats exposed to transtympanic allergen.
Conclusion:
These findings demonstrate that late-phase allergy leads to significant eustachian tube dysfunction and subsequent formation of effusion by impairing the ventilatory and clearance functions of the eustachian tube.
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