Surgical treatment of patulous eustachian tube.

Thirteen patients (16 ears) with patulous eustachian tubes were treated with pterygoid hamulotomy combined with transposition (eight ears) or transection (eight ears) of the tendon of the tensor veli palatini muscle. Tubal function was tested preoperatively and postoperatively by sonotubometry. Prior to surgery, only one ear showed normal tubal function on swallowing at the time of the test. The follow-up period ranged from two months to five years. Nine ears yielded normal sonotubometric results during the average follow-up time of two years, while two tubes opened on swallowing, remained open for some time, and closed little by little. The remaining five tubes stayed continuously open as before surgery, and tubal symptoms were unaltered. Transection operation had been performed on two of these ears and transposition on three. The transposition or transection procedure can be used as a routine procedure for correction of patulous tubes. Good results can be expected in about 70% of cases.