Eustachian tube function assessed with tympanometry

On 15 normal ears and 14 pathological ears of adults with intact tympanic membranes, Eustachian tube function was measured by using tympanometry in an effort to reproduce the results published by Holmquist. His method appeared to be a promising tool for clinical determination of Eustachian tube function. However, our results on normal ears were not significantly different from our results on pathological ears and were inconsistent with Holmquist's results. In contrast to Holmquist, 60% of our normal ears were unable to attain achieved negative middle ear pressures of -100 mm to -250 mm H2O. Our normal ears, as well as our pathological ears, required repeated swallows to normalize negative pressure. Tests in both our groups were not always repeatable even though recorded applied nasopharyngeal pressure was identical. Therefore, our findings do not substantiate this procedure as a useful, reliable clinical tool for measuring Eustachian tube function on ears with intact tympanic membranes.