Eustachian tube function in sudden hearing loss and in healthy subjects

The relationship between sudden hearing loss and an ipsilateral patulous tube was tested in our Eustachian tube laboratory. Fifty patients suffering from sudden hearing loss were examined by the pressure chamber impedance method, giving objective data on Eustachian tube function. Results were compared to those obtained from 56 healthy volunteers in a preceding investigation. Our investigation did not show any associations between patulous tube syndrome and sudden hearing loss, as had been claimed by several authors previously. There was even indication of a decreased patency of Eustachian tube in our patients in active and passive tubal tests. We could demonstrate a high reproducibility of values obtained by our method, indicating that results are representative in healthy persons as well as in patients. In a case report the importance of objective diagnostic methods in differential diagnostics of Eustachian tube pathology is emphasized.