Efficacy of balloon Eustachian tuboplasty plus tympanostomy tube insertion in postirradiation otitis media with effusion

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) plus tympanostomy tube insertion (TTI) and simple TTI for postirradiation otitis media with effusion (OME) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This study included 36 patients (51 ears) with OME after the first radiotherapy course for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and categorized them into the BET + TTI and simple TTI groups. Effective rates, pure tone hearing threshold, Eustachian tube function score, and complication incidences were compared. The effective rates of the BET+TTI and TTI groups were 93.75 % and 75 %, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.29). The pure tone hearing threshold examination at 9 months postoperatively revealed significantly lower mean air-pure tone and air-bone gap in both the BET + TTI and TTI groups than preoperatively. Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire-7 (ETDQ-7) scores at every postoperative visit were significantly higher than preoperative scores in the two groups (all P < 0.05); ETDQ-7 score reduction in the BET + TTI group at 3, 9, and 12 months postoperatively was significantly higher than that in the TTI group. Otorrhea and recurrence both occurred in the BET+TTI and TTI groups, but the BET+TTI group demonstrated a lower incidence. BET + TTI is an effective treatment method for postirradiation OME.