Eustachian tube compliance in sniff-induced otitis media with effusion. A preliminary study.

Compliance and ventilatory functions of the eustachian tube (ET) were examined in 20 ears with sniff-induced otitis media with effusion (OME) and 16 ears with traumatic perforation of the eardrum (control) by the forced response test (FRT) including the compliance test, and by the inflation-deflation test. The tubal compliance showed no significant difference between two groups in the FRT. The inflation test revealed that the forced opening pressure was significantly lower in the sniff-induced OME group than in the controls. In the FRT, the active ventilatory dysfunction was also revealed to be significantly more common in the sniff-induced OME. These results suggested that most of the ETs with sniff-induced OME seemed to have excessive patency and poor active opening ability, but may not be hypercompliant or "floppy".