Histamine Applied Topically to the Nasal Mucosa Increases the Transmucosal Nitrous Oxide Exchange for the Middle Ear.

Objective: Determine if the middle ear transmucosal nitrous oxide (NO) exchange rate is affected by nasal inflammation caused by topical application of histamine.

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 20 adults were challenged intranasally with histamine (5 mg) and placebo on separate occasions. At each session, the subjects were fitted with a non-rebreathing mask and breathed room air for 20 minutes, 50% NO:50% O for 20 minutes, and 100% O for 10 minutes.

Pressure chamber tests of eustachian tube function document lower efficiency in adults with colds when compared to without colds.

Conclusions: Fractional gradient equilibrated (FGE) for ears with applied positive but not negative middle ear (ME)-ambient pressure gradients is highly sensitive to a cold-like illness (CLI).

Objective: The sequential development of eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction, ME under-pressure, and otitis media (OM) characterizes many children during a CLI. If linked, OM burden would be lessened by interventions that promote/preserve good ET function during a CLI.

Eustachian tube function in young children without a history of otitis media evaluated using a pressure chamber protocol.

Conclusions: Protocol limitations were identified and accounted for in the analysis. Percent gradient equilibrated (PGE) was affected by driving gradient direction in a similar manner to other efficiency measures. A finer resolution of possible age-related changes in eustachian tube opening efficiency is expected with the application of more sophisticated statistical models to the complete dataset at study end.

A method to assess the accuracy of sonotubometry for detecting Eustachian tube openings.

Sonotubometry is a simple test for Eustachian tube (ET) opening during a maneuver. Different sonotubometry configurations were suggested to maximize test accuracy, but no method has been described for comparing sonotubometry test results with those for a definitive measure of ET opening. Here, we present such a method and exemplify is use by an accuracy assessment of a simple sonotubometry configuration.