Acoustic Tube Endoscopy – Overview

The Eustachian tube function has a major impact on the pathegenesis of acute and chronic middle ear diseases. Clinically the evaluation of the preoperative tube function is of special relevance for the planning of surgeries.

From the numerous methods for the assessment of the Eustachian tube only quite a few are applied in the clinical routine as up to now no examination procedure exists, which fulfills all diagnostic needs.

Most commonly used are tympanometric and manometric approaches. However, both approaches allow only indirect conclusions about the tube function to be drawn. Furthermore, the examination of the Eustachian tube under physiological conditions is not possible.

In contrast to most of the clinical examinations, the sonotubometric assessment of the Eustachian tube function allows the registration of the tube opening at the perforated, as well as at the intact eardrum unter physiological conditions.

Within the framework of an interdisciplinary cooperation funded by the DFG we develop a new acoustic diagnostic system for the evaluation of the Eustachian tube function.