[Study of morphological alterations in pharyngeal ostium of Eustachian tube and its surrounding tissue and its association with SOM].

OBJECTIVE

To observe the morphological alterations in pharyngeal ostium of Eustachian tube and its surrounding tissues and its correlation with secretory otitis media.

METHOD: 72 volunteers (144 ears) as control group, 89 patients (151 ears) as SOM group, all were observed for the shape of pharyngeal opening of auditory tube and the morphological changes of its surrounding structures.

RESULT: Statistic difference was found between the shape of pharyngeal ostium of eustachian tube of adult patients with SOM and that of control group, but for children, there was no difference. It indicated that there was a difference between adult and children in morphological changes of pharyngeal ostium of eustachian tube when suffered from SOM.

CONCLUSION

Morphological changes of pharyngeal ostium of eustachian tube play an important role in the genesis and development of adult SOM . The primary change in children patients is the inflammation of nasopharynx, then is the hypertrophy of adenoid and tubal tonsil. Nasopharyngeal-fibroscope is a very useful tool in the diagnosis and treatment of SOM.