Studies on endonasal dilatation of the Eustachian tube (EET) utilizing a balloon catheter have shown encouraging results over the last years. This retrospective analysis presents our outcomes with EET in children with chronic obstructive dysfunction of the Eustachian tube, as well as the role of tubomanometry (TMM, Estève) as a diagnostic tool in the pre- and postoperative assessment of the Eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction. The data of 33 children, having undergone EET between September 2010 and March 2014, were retrospectively evaluated. They were assessed using tubomanometry before and after the EET. The R-data as the rate of Eustachian tube function in tubomanometry (TMM) were pre- and postoperatively matched with the clinical outcomes. Moreover, the patients' complaints before and after the procedure were analyzed. We did not see any EET-related complications in children. Most patients noticed a relief of their complaints. In the same time, tubomanometry was not able to show improved tube function or favorable postoperative changes in the R-data. Ear-related symptoms (e.g. otorrhea, otalgia, hearing loss) have been improved. EET is a feasible method in adults as well as in children to treat chronic tube dysfunction. However, tubomanometry does not seem to be the adequate tool to evaluate the tube function and thus the success rate of EET in children with chronic dysfunction of the Eustachian tube.

For years, several surgical and non-surgical therapeutic strategies in Eustachian tube dysfunction have been described. The Endonasal dilatation of the Eustachian tube (EET) utilising a balloon catheter is a feasible option in patients with symptoms of chronic obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction. However, long-term results in a large series are missing. In a prospective case series, 217 patients (342 cases) with symptoms of chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction underwent uni- or bilateral EET at the ENT Department of the University of Hamburg, Germany, between September 2010 and April 2013. A tube score consisting of the type of tympanogram and the R value of the tubomanometry was used to evaluate pre- and postoperative tube function. All patients underwent follow-up with a post-operative interval of 3-12 months. The mean value of the pre-treatment tube score was 2.23 ± 1.147 and significantly improved to 2.68 ± 1.011 1 year after EET. There was a significant increase in the tube score during follow-up. The co-variables time period, tympanoplasty and pressure range showed a significant impact on the tube score. EET is a minimally invasive and effective treatment of chronic obstructive tube dysfunction. It is a safe procedure without causing significant complications. Nevertheless, long-term results of larger, placebo-controlled multicentre studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness.