Patient’s Experience with Balloon Dilation of the Eustachian Tube

Eustachian tube dysfunction seriously affects the hearing of patients. Balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube is currently a widely respected treatment method. What are its advantages? What are the comments between doctors and patients?

This article is an interview with patients and doctors on this surgery with citations for your reference.

Doctor : The tube dysfunction is a problem that can affect the entire population. I think at some point everyone has experienced tube dysfunction as part of an infection and can therefore judge how it impairs upon both hearing and general well-being.

Patient : I constantly had ear pressure issues. I felt that I couldn’t hear conversations properly. My personal impression was that my hearing had greatly deteriorated. In my job, I have to take care of a lot of people, and that was no longer possible. It was also not possible for me to balance the pressure in my ears on an aeroplane. That was particularly awful for me. In larger groups, I felt that I was no longer able to process what was going on around me or follow conversations in a restaurant, for example.

Doctor : Balloon tube dilation has been available for a few years. In this context, a small balloon is inserted via the nose into the tube ostium and then the tube.

Patient : The ENT doctor found out that I had a ventilation problem in the tube. It turned out to be chronic otitis. I was recommended to have a ventilation tube inserted, which was then carried out in the ENT practice. The ventilation tube failed to bring the desired results. The complaints did not go away and I could still hear very little.

Doctor : We have been performing tube dilation for a good year. We treated our first patient in September 2013 and have been able to help a large number of people using this method since then. During the operation, the catheter is placed in the tube via the nose and dilation is carried out at 10 bar pressure for 2 minutes. In our clinic, we perform tube dilation in patients who suffer from chronic middle ear diseases and have developed hearing loss, hoping to eliminate these symptoms and avoid ear surgery.

Patient : In the ENT clinic, Professor suggested expanding the tube with a balloon.

Doctor : The operation itself always takes place under general anaesthetic. Tube dilation is a low-risk procedure that may provoke bleeding in the nasal mucosa, but this can be resolved very easily. There are no serious risks to expect.

Patient : I was able to leave the clinic 24 hours after the operation, without pain, freed of my problems. I was able to resume work immediately.

Doctor : The follow-up inspection is carried out regularly at six to eight weeks. Post-operatively, patients are instructed to safeguard tube ventilation by performing the Valsalva maneuver 20 to 30 times daily. In the Valsalva maneuver, the patient tries to inflate the tube opening by building up pressure in the nasopharynx and thus forcing air into the middle ear areas. It looks like this. I seal my nose and with my mouth closed I increase the pressure until it arrives in the middle ear. This is easy for a person who does not have a tube dysfunction, but for people with chronic tube dysfunction it is sometimes impossible.

Patient : The clinic recommended that I use the Valsalva method Valsalva, which I perform several times a day, so I always ensure that the tube is open.

Doctor : It varies from patient to patient as to how quickly success is achieved. We have some patients where tube ventilation is immediately restored after surgery and who report that they can hear better on the day of the operation.

Patient : For me it was a total improvement in my quality of life. After the procedure I felt that I had been given a completely new quality of life with which I am very satisfied.

Doctor : We often get the feedback that the patients are happier again, more optimistic and not so caught up in their ear problem.

Patient : The surgery took place a year ago. I am still satisfied and free of all complaints.

Doctor : This form of treatment has become well established in adults in recent years. In the future, I think it will probably also be extended to children who also suffer from chronic tube dysfunction. I can imagine that children too will benefit greatly from tube dilation in the future.

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Source:

HK ENT Specialist Ltd.

ENT Head and Neck Surgery Centre

For ENT Services, Audiology & Speech Therapy,

Sleep Disordered Breathing Management,

Hearing Aid Prescription & Medical Cosmetic Services

https://www.hkentspecialist.hk