Can party balloons replace autoinflation balloons to treat glue ear? A technical comparison

Autoinflation balloons are used to treat patients with otitis media with effusion (OME) to help avoid surgery.

To compare the ability of party balloons with Otovent balloons to produce sufficient pressure for a Valsalva manoeuvre.

Pressure testing was used to determine the number of times each balloon could produce pressures sufficient for a Valsalva manoeuvre. Subsequently, Otovent balloons were compared with spherical party balloons in a pilot clinical trial of 12 healthy adults.

Each balloon was inflated 20 times and the maximum pressure was recorded. Three balloons of each type were tested to 50 inflations to assess pressures over persistent use.

Otovent balloons' mean inflation pressure was 93 mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI] = 89 to 97 mmHg) on first inflation, dropping to 83 mmHg (95% CI = 80 to 86 mmHg) after 20 inflations. Two types of spherical party balloon required mean inflation pressures of 84 mmHg (95% CI = 77 to 90 mmHg) and 108 mmHg (95% CI = 97 to 119 mmHg) on first inflation, dropping to 74 mmHg (95% CI = 68 to 81 mmHg) and 83 mmHg (95% CI = 77 to 88 mmHg) after 20 inflations. In the pilot trial, there was no difference between the ability of Otovent and spherical balloons (χ² = 0.24, P = 0.89) to produce the sensation of a Valsalva manoeuvre.

Otovent balloons can be used more than the 20 times quoted by the manufacturer. The two spherical balloons produced similar pressures to Otovent balloons, indicating potentially the same clinical effect. The pilot study suggests a potential use of spherical party balloons instead of Otovent balloons as a cost-efficient treatment.