Wu Matthew J, Knoll Renata M, Chari Divya A, Remenschneider Aaron K, Faquin William C, Kozin Elliott D, Poe Dennis S
Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021 Dec;165(6):759-761. doi: 10.1177/01945998211004256. Epub 2021 Apr 13.
The pathophysiology of eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) remains poorly characterized, and it may result in significant patient morbidity. A recent study has identified a collection of previously unidentified salivary glands in the nasopharynx that overlay the torus tubarius. While salivary gland tissue has been described in the nasopharynx, the newly discovered salivary gland tissue has been denoted tubarial glands (TGs) and theorized to be a distinct organ. The TGs have been suggested to aid in lubrication of the oropharynx and nasopharynx. However, the exact clinical significance of TGs is unknown. Given the proximity of the TG to the eustachian tube, it is possible that the TGs may be related to the development of ETD. Future studies of the TGs and related pathophysiology may improve approaches to developing future ETD treatments.
咽鼓管功能障碍（ETD）的病理生理学仍未得到充分描述，它可能导致患者出现严重的发病情况。最近一项研究在覆盖咽鼓管圆枕的鼻咽部发现了一组先前未被识别的唾液腺。虽然鼻咽部已有唾液腺组织的描述，但新发现的唾液腺组织被命名为咽鼓管腺（TGs），并被认为是一个独特的器官。有人提出TGs有助于口咽和鼻咽的润滑。然而，TGs的确切临床意义尚不清楚。鉴于TGs与咽鼓管位置接近，TGs可能与ETD的发生有关。未来对TGs及其相关病理生理学的研究可能会改进未来ETD治疗方法的开发。
