Radiologic CT Scan Assessment Of Eustachian Tube Dimensions Among Filipino Adults With Chronic Otitis Media at the Rizal Medical Center: A Retrospective Study
Objective: To determine the radiologic dimensions of eustachian tube dimensions (pretympanic diameter, tubotympanic angle and eustachian tube angle) of Adult Filipinos with normal ears, chronic otitis media, chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma and determine if there’s significant difference between the groups.
Methods:
Design: Retrospective Review of Records
Setting: Tertiary Government Training Hospital
Participants: The study utilized a minimum sample size of 69 CT scans, evenly distributed among those with normal ears, with cholesteatoma, and without cholesteatoma formation (23 for each variable, considering each ear on CT as one sample). Normal ears were identified in patients with unilateral COM.
Results: The average measurements of the pre-tympanic diameter and ET angle (Reid plane) in the group with cholesteatoma were found to be higher than those in the group without cholesteatoma. The pre-tympanic diameter was 4.1993 ± 0.50 compared to 4.002 ± 1.13, and the ET angle was 26.483 ± 3.86 compared to 24.649 ± 3.10. Although the mean measurement of the tubotympanic angle in the group without cholesteatoma was greater than that in the group with cholesteatoma, with values of 141.994 ± 6.30 and 138.789 ± 7.13, respectively, p-values for the pre-tympanic diameter, tubotympanic angle, and ET angle were .617, .198, and .098 respectively, indicating that there were no statistically significant differences in the ET dimensions of the groups with cholesteatoma, without cholesteatoma and normal ears.
Conclusion: In our investigation, we found no statistically significant differences in Eustachian tube dimensions among individuals with normal ears and COM with or without cholesteatoma. This suggests that the development of cholesteatoma in patients with chronic otitis media may be influenced by multiple factors and that Eustachian tube dimensions may not serve as a primary etiological factor in its occurrence.
