St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center has used a new procedure aimed at relieving muffled hearing, fullness of the ear, pain in the ear, inability to equilibrate middle ear (ME) pressure, tinnitus, and dizziness caused by Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD).
Dr. Benjamin Wycherly, an ear, nose and throat surgeon and fellowship trained otologist, is the first physician in Connecticut to perform a Eustachian tube dilation utilizing the Acclarent Aera Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation System, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last September, according to a St. Francis news release. Two other physicians in the state have been trained to use the device.
Acclarent Aera is the first balloon dilation intervention indicated to treat persistent ETD and the only balloon dilation device that offers a minimally-invasive option to treat the source of ETD, the release said. A doctor uses a catheter to insert a small balloon through the patient’s nose and into the Eustachian tube. Once inflated, the balloon opens up a pathway for mucus and air to flow through the Eustachian tube, which may help restore proper function. After the Eustachian tube is dilated, a doctor deflates and removes the balloon.
The outpatient procedure takes less than an hour.
The Eustachian tube is a narrow tube which links the back of the nose to the middle ear. It is normally closed but opens when we swallow, yawn or chew. It has three main functions: to ventilate the middle ear, to drain fluid from the middle ear, and to create a barrier between the middle ear and the nose and throat, St. Francis said.
ETD occurs when the mucosal lining of the tube is swollen, or does not open or close properly. It can occur with a cold or other nose, sinus, ear and throat infections. When the Eustachian tube is not working properly, a patient will experience: muffled hearing, fullness of the ear, pain in the ear when flying or changing altitude, and/or the inability to equilibrate middle ear (ME) pressure, the release said.
