Does auditory tube angle really affect childhood otitis media and size of the mastoid?

To assess the cross-sectional area of mastoid air cells and auditory tube angles (ATA), which were defined as the angles between the longitudinal line bisecting the transverse length of the external auditory canal and the longitudinal axis of the auditory tube (AT), both in healthy ears and diseased ears in patients with unilateral chronic otitis media (COM).

25 patients who had unilateral COM were included in the study. Assessment was performed using a quantitative digital image processing computer tomography (CT) program.

Prospective study with institutional review board approval including adult patients who had otological symptoms since their childhood period.

Mastoid areas were greater on the healthy side than on the diseased side (p<0.05). ATA were not significantly different among groups (p>0.05). When we compared ATA with mastoid area in each group; there were no significant correlations in both healthy group and COM group (p>0.05). Mastoid size in COM group was smaller than in the healthy group.

We suggest that middle ear inflammations in childhood may affect mastoid size but, the anatomic relationships of the auditory tube, mastoid and middle ear that form a functional unit may not be significantly important in chronic ear disease.