The eustachian tube caliber and craniofacial skeleton in guinea pigs

The temporal bone and eustachian tube (ET) keep developing up to adulthood in conjunction with facial growth, and the researchers considered that insufficient tubal function in childhood might be related to size, shape and position of the ET. In this study, we performed correlation and stepwise regression analyses between craniofacial skeletal parameters and diameter of the cartilaginous ET in 90 guinea pigs. Data showed that, not the potency of the lumen at the superior part of the cartilaginous ET, but the configuration of the cartilage surrounding the superior part of the ET, and position of the lateral lamina appeared to be significantly associated with the balance of the growth potentials between the naso-premaxillary unit, maxillo-zygomatic unit and the anterior cranial base. Therefore, we may hypothesize that the balance between these subunits of the developing craniofacial skeleton has determinative effect on tensor veli palatini muscle (TVPM).