Does the Silastic Eustachian Tube prosthesis improve eustachian tube function?

This clinical study attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of Eustachian tube function in 30 ears, 11-29 months after insertion of the Silastic Eustachian tube prosthesis (SETP). Indications for the SETP were limited to persistent Eustachian tube dysfunction. Preoperatively, 13 patients had intact tympanic membranes with persistent serous otitis media. Seventeen patients underwent tympanoplasty and demonstrated persistent serous otitis media in the opposite ear. Postoperatively, aeration of the middle ear was evaluated by tympanometry, microscopic examination, and myringostomy. Microphotographs demonstrate the state of the middle ear. Histology of the middle ear mucosa was obtained in a few cases. Ninety-six percent of the ears with an SETP demonstrated confirmed persistent Eustachinan tube dysfunction beginning an average of six months after insertion. Complications were common.