[The application of contrast-enhanced X-ray salpingography for the evaluation of the effectiveness of catheterization of the acoustic tube with the use of the Eustachian catheters].

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the administration of a medication into the middle ear structures during catheterization of the acoustic tube (AT) in the course of the contrast-enhanced X-ray salpingographic investigation. The study included 18 patients (18 ears) presenting with chronic otitis media and the perforated tympanic membrane without the disturbances of the ventilation function of the auditory tube. All the patients were allocated to two groups depending on the type of the Eustachian catheters being used. Group 1 was comprised of 9 patients treated with the use of traditional Giyot's catheter, group 2 was composed of another nine patients who were treated with the use of the Eustachian catheters having an original shape with a specific configuration of its distal part. The X-ray studies were carried out before and after catheterization of the acoustic tube with the administration of 1 ml of the hypaque contrast medium. The study has demonstrated that the X-ray contrast agent did not penetrate into the inner structures of the middle ear of the patients comprising group 1 whereas in the patients of the second group the contrast medium reached as far as the bony portion of the acoustic tube.