New Scoring System for Evaluating Patulous Eustachian Tube Patients

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Medical device evaluation
• Patient-reported outcome measures

Background:

• Patulous Eustachian tube (PET) significantly impacts quality of life.
• Objective assessment tools are crucial for evaluating PET severity and treatment efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the Patulous Eustachian Tube Handicap Inventory (PHI) for patients diagnosed with definite PET.
• To assess the suitability of the PHI, specifically the PHI 10, for grading severity and evaluating treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 31 PET patients undergoing surgical plug insertion and 29 patients receiving conservative saline treatment.
• The Patulous Eustachian Tube Handicap Inventory (PHI), modified from the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, was used for assessment.
• PHI 10 scores were analyzed pre- and post-treatment for surgical cases and compared between groups.

Main Results:

• PHI 10 scores were significantly lower in the surgical group (19.5 ± 9.3) compared to the conservative group (30.6 ± 8.6) pre-treatment.
• Post-surgery, PHI 10 scores in the surgical group dramatically decreased to 7.8 ± 11.3, indicating significant improvement.
• The PHI 10 demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.887) and correlated well with a Likert scale.

Conclusions:

• The PHI 10 is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the severity of definite patulous Eustachian tube.
• The PHI 10 is suitable for evaluating the effectiveness of surgical interventions for PET.