Effect of levator veli palatini muscle excision on eustachian tube function

The role of the levator veli palatini (LVP) muscle in eustachian tube (ET) physiology was investigated in five juvenile rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). The baseline ET function and middle ear pressures were documented longitudinally for a period of six months prior to bilateral excision of the LVP muscle, and postoperative ET function and middle ear status were assessed for a period of five months. During the postoperative follow-up period, otitis media with effusion was not observed and middle ear pressure values remained within the normal baseline values. Parameters of ET function as measured by the forced-response test did not show any significant differences in comparison with baseline values. These findings provide additional evidence that the operational biomechanics of the ET are independent of the integrity of the LVP muscle, and that the tensor veli palatini is the only paratubal muscle responsible for normal active opening of the ET.