Tubomanometry in measurement of velopharyngeal closure: A pilot study.

Objective: To investigate the differences in velum closure pattern in people with and without a history of middle ear disease using intranasal pressure curves recorded with the tubomanometer, a Eustachian tube (ET) testing device.

Study Design: Case control study.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

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.