It is felt that this impairs its normal function. In this age group, the tube exists with a much more acute angle than in adults. The anatomy of the Eustachian tube itself is perhaps the biggest contributor. Young children are more prone to these infections due to several factors. He takes a comprehensive approach with every patient for the best level of care, always assessing the entirety of the symptoms and performing a thorough anatomic inspection of the nasal passages, sinuses, and ears as well as a complete history of the individual’s symptoms in order to create a personalized treatment plan. Jerome Hester is a San Francisco Bay Area ear, nose, and throat specialist with decades of experience and he obtained his training in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Stanford University. This is otitis media– an infection of the middle ear space.ĭr. This trapped fluid can lead to a sense of fullness, a loss of hearing, and ultimately can become infected.
This negative pressure can actually pull fluid from the tissue lining the area. If this is significant enough, negative pressure will form behind the eardrum- essentially a small vacuum. The congestion we experience can cause swelling of the Eustachian tube, therefore impacting its ability to maintain equal pressure. This can happen accompanying an upper respiratory tract infection. However, sometimes the tube itself does not function correctly. Keeping this space behind the eardrum filled with air and at the correct pressure is the function of the Eustachian tube.
Sometimes we have to augment this function- for example when we “pop” our ears when traveling in elevation or on an airplane. The maintenance of equalized pressure is accomplished by a small muscular tube- the Eustachian tube- which connects the area behind the eardrum to the back of our nasal cavity.Įvery time we talk, swallow or yawn this tube opens and shuts to maintain equal pressure. This vibration then is passed along the three small hearing bones (ossicles), which then move fluid in the inner ear and ultimately is perceived by the brain as sound. This allows this membrane to vibrate easily when exposed to sound. When functioning normally, the space behind the tympanic membrane (eardrum) normally is filled with air that is at the same atmospheric pressure as our surroundings.
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