The original method for bypass surgery of the tympanic cavity to treat chronic dysfunction of the Eustachian tube

The objective of the present study was to improve the effectiveness of the treatment of intractable dysfunctionof the Eustachian tube responsible for the relapses of catarrhal and exudative otitis media. The authors developed the diaphragmatic slot valve integrated into the silicone tympanic shunt tube. The proposed diaphragmatic slot valve was shown to counterbalance extra- and intratympanic pressure at the experimentally found compression threshold equaling 123.06 daPa. This original functional shunt ensured the continuous functioning of tensor tympani muscle and maintained tympano-tubal innervation. The comprehensive examination and treatment encompassed 104 patients (104 ears) presenting with long-standing dysfunction of the Eustachian tube. In 52 patients (52 ears), otitis media was treated with the use of the functional shunt tube and in the remaining 52 (52 ears) with the standard silicone shunt tube. The comparative analysis has demonstrated that the effectiveness of the treatment of intractable dysfunctionof the Eustachian tube can be increased by 13.3% using the functional tympanic shunt. Simultaneously, this method made it possible to totally normalize the ventilation function of the Eustachian tube in 51 (98.1%) patients. The duration of the treatment with the use of the functional shunt tube averaged 42.11±8.46 days (in the patients with catarrhal inflammation of the middle ear) and 59.03±7.17 days (in the case of exudative otitis media) which was 42.9% and 37.3% shorter respectively than the duration of the traditional treatment (p<0.5).