The Eustachian Tube Muscles in Otitis Media: A Comparison Between Eustachian Tube Muscles in Healthy and Inflamed Ears

The cross-sectional area of the tensor palati (TP) and levator palati (LP) muscles in the mid-portion of the Eustachian tube was measured in serially sectioned histological specimens of 35 temporal bones (TB). 17 of the TBs presented acute or secretory otitis media. The other 18 TBs showed no evidence of inflammatory disease. No significant differences were found between the mean sizes of the muscles coming from TBs with acute and secretory otitis media and of those from TBs without signs of inflammation. The cross-sectional area of the LP was found to be significantly larger than that of the TP. These results raise the question as to the actual role of the muscles' size in inflammatory middle ear disease in infants and children, and as to the role of the LP.