"Physiological" Ear Clicking: Its Origin and Potential Usability as a Test Tool for the Eustachian Tube Function.

Objective: To explore the origin of "physiological" ear clicks during deglutition or other pharyngeal movements, which, in contrast to disturbing frequent clicks under pathologic conditions, mostly remain unnoticed by the patient.

Study Design: Clinical experimental study at a tertiary referral center.

Methods: Ear clicks were recorded by a microphone sealing the external ear canal parallel to endoscopic or manometric evaluations of the Eustachian tube function.

Subjective voice quality, communicative ability and swallowing after definitive radio(chemo)therapy, laryngectomy plus radio(chemo)therapy, or organ conservation surgery plus radio(chemo)therapy for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer.

This retrospective analysis focusses on the impact of therapy on perceived long-term post-cancer treatment function. A validated questionnaire including items and components for the assessment of communicative ability, quality of voice and swallowing was sent to 129 patients. All patients were treated between 1998 and 2007.

[Effect of fenestration of the cochlea on the vibration of the round window membrane].

Drilling a promontory window and coupling an FMT into the scala tympani may be a surgical alternative to stapes surgery in obliterative tympanosclerosis. Aim of this experimental study on human temporal bones was to measure changes of the acoustic transfer function from the tympanic membrane to the round window membrane after drilling a promontory window and insertion of a floating mass transducer.Laser vibrometry and acoustic measurements were performed on 11 temporal bone preparations equipped with a microphone attached to the round window.

Fibroblast colonization of modified silicone films.

Hypothesis: Development of silicone films with hydrophilic surface properties and with associated fibroblast colonization for tympanic membrane reconstruction.

Background: Silicone films are used in ear surgery for splinting fresh eardrum perforations. The cure rate is high if the perforation is small and fresh.

[Mastoid obliteration with a highly porous bone grafting material in combination with cartilage].

Background: An open mastoid cavity might lead to various problems for the patient. Chronic inflammation of the cavity with secretion, changes in the acoustic behavior, vertigo in restricted situations and an impaired self-cleaning function might affect the patient. For surgical treatment reducing of the size of such cavities have been described.