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Outcomes and Complications of Pediatric Eustachian Tube Dilation Surgery
Shraddha Mukerji1, Ana Maria Rosas Herrera2, Ryan Rochat3
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery, Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Insights
Balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube (BDET) significantly improved quality of life and audiology scores in children with chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction. BDET offers a safe and effective alternative to traditional treatments for selected pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Pediatric Otology
- Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
Background:
- Chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction (CETD) significantly impacts children's quality of life.
- Traditional treatments like tympanostomy tubes have limitations.
- A novel approach, balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube (BDET), is being explored for pediatric CETD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of BDET in improving audiology and quality of life scores in pediatric patients with CETD.
- To assess BDET as a potential alternative to tympanostomy tubes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study conducted at a tertiary care pediatric center.
- Included patients aged 8+ with a history of at least two prior tube placements.
- Data collected included Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Quality of Life Survey (ETDQ-7) scores and tympanogram (TD) data.
Main Results:
- 43 patients (85 ears) underwent BDET, with a mean age of 13.3 years.
- Significant improvement in ETDQ-7 scores was observed post-BDET (mean score decreased from 3.9 to 2.5, P < .0001).
- 60.7% of ears showed improved tympanogram results, with Type A or B tympanograms more likely to improve (P < .0001).
Conclusions:
- BDET is a safe and effective treatment for selected pediatric patients with chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction.
- BDET demonstrates significant improvements in both quality of life and audiology outcomes.
- BDET presents a promising alternative to tympanostomy tubes for managing pediatric CETD.
Objective:
To determine whether balloon dilation of Eustachian tube (BDET) improves postoperative audiology and quality of life scores in children with chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction.
Study Design:
Retrospective study.
Setting:
Tertiary care pediatric center.
Methods:
Eligible participants were patients 8 years or older, with a history of 2 prior tubes placement. Group 1-patients completed pre-and post-Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Quality of Life Survey (ETDQ-7) survey scores, Group 2-patients had available pre- and postdilation tympanogram data (TD), and Group 3-patients had both ETDQ-7 survey and TD. The average time for the first and subsequent follow-ups was 3.8 and 12.9 months, respectively.
Results:
A total of 43 patients (85 ears) underwent BDET. The mean age was 13.3 years (8-18 years). Twenty-four patients were male (55.8%) and over 80% were Caucasian. The average mean ETDQ-7 score before and after dilation was 3.9 and 2.5, respectively. Ninety-three percent experienced improvement of their postoperative ETDQ-7 scores and 53% had normal postdilation ETDQ-7 score (P < .0001). Thirty-seven ears in Group 2 (60.7%) had improvement in postdilation TD. A greater proportion of ears showed improvement of 62.3% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) [50.1%-74.5%] compared to 37.7% without improvement, 95% CI [25.5%-49.87%]. Ears with type A or B TD were more likely to show improvement than ears with type C, perforated, or with tubes (P < .0001). Eighteen out of 30 ears in Group 3 (60%) experienced an improvement in both ETDQ-7 and tympanogram.
Conclusion:
BDET is a safe, efficacious alternative to tubes in selected pediatric patients.
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