Sonotubometry with a tubal catheter as an index for the use of a ventilation tube in otitis media with effusion.

Insertion of a ventilation tube is considered to be an effective treatment for otitis media with effusion (OME), although it may entail complications such as residual perforation and poor hearing after tube extrusion. In order to reduce problems associated with ventilation tubes, we examined the Eustachian tube function in 25 adults with OME by two methods. One was a sonotubometric measurement (sonotubometry) with both a tubal catheter and a nasal olive tip, and the other was an air-pressure equilization method (deflation test). Sixty percent of the ears showed poor tubal function in both types of sonotubometry. The number of negative cases in sonotubometry with a tubal catheter was higher in ears with a larger volume of effusion, and in ears with poor tubal function by deflation testing. Judging from the volume of effusion and results of the deflation tests, the prognosis could be fairly good in many positive cases. We conclude that sonotubometry with a tubal catheter is useful in the management of OME, especially in evaluating the efficacy of ventilation tubes.