Eustachian tube obstruction: new technique for treatment.

The function of the eustachian tube is ventilation of the middle ear to equilibrate air pressure in the middle ear with atmospheric pressure. Obstruction of the middle ear produces a negative pressure in the middle ear due to absorption of the oxygen from the middle ear cavity, often leading to otalgia. This study was done on 30 patients complaining of otalgia. They were 16 males and 14 females. They were found to have eustachian tube obstruction by examination, and negative middle ear pressure by tympanometry. All patients were treated with a mixture of equal amounts of nitrous oxide and oxygen under pressure for 30 minutes. Tympanometry was carried out immediately after discontinuation of the gas and again after 1 hour. The treatment appeared to be successful in 94% of patients as demonstrated by the absence of complaint and by tympanometric measurements.