Philine Kischk (Lübeck), Karl-Ludwig Bruchhage (Lübeck), David Leffers (Lübeck), Anke Leichtle (Lübeck)
Introduction: The dilation of the Eustachian tube using balloon eustachian tuboplasty (BET) is an established therapy to treat ventilation disorders of the eustachian tube. In this study the influences of age and gender on the development of tube dysfunction after BET were examined for the first time. Particular attention was paid to tubal function and quality of life after BET.
Material/ Method: We present a retrospective study from 2011 to 2016 at the UKSH Lübeck in the Department of ENT. The data collected consisted of audiological measurements and questionnaires pre- and postoperatively, from which the EustachianTubeScore5 (ETS5) and the Quality of Life Score (QL) was calculated.
Results: A total of 205 treatments were recorded, including 132 patients aged 7 to 86 years, mean 41 years. The gender ratio was balanced with 52% women and 48% men. Age was divided into a 0-17 years, 18-49 years and 50-100 years group. The follow-ups took place up to 1 year after BET. The ETS5 increased significantly with no gender-specific difference between female and male. There was a significant (up to 2 months p≤0.05) improvement in the ETS5 among 18-49 year olds. The QL increased significantly from preoperative to postoperative period (p≤0.001 up to 6 months) by an average of 3.8 points. It was found a significant (p≤0.01 up to 6 months) gender-specific difference from female to male in QL after BET. Those over 50 years of age show a significant increase in QL postoperatively.
Discussion: A significant improvement in the tube score and QL was demonstrated up to 1 year after BET. Moreover this is the first data showing that the outcome of BET appears to be age- and gender-dependend.
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