Pharyngeal ciliary activity in guinea pigs with otitis media.

The function of cilia present in the tubotympanum plays an important role in the pathogenesis and chronicity of otitis media with effusion (OME). We used a photoelectric method to examine the ciliary activity in the eustachian tube, in the central pharynx, as well as the nasal cavity of normal animals and animals with otitis media. In normal animals, the ciliary activity in the nasal cavity was not different from that in the eustachian tube. In some animals with otitis media, however, there was a significant difference between the ciliary activity in the nasal cavity and that in the eustachian tube. On the other hand, no significant differences were recognized in any given group of animals examined between the level of the ciliary activity in the central pharynx and that in the eustachian tube. Our findings show that the function of the cilia present in the pharynx is a valid index of that in the eustachian tube. Our study further indicates that it may be possible to clinically assess the ciliary activity in the pharyngeal mucosa biopsied from patients with OME to determine objectively the effects of medical treatments of the disease.