Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation in Farmington Hills, MI
Michigan Ear Institute specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of numerous conditions affecting the ear and related structures. Eustachian tube dysfunction is just one of many conditions we treat and is estimated to affect up to 5% of the adult population.
We now offer a treatment for eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD), which is the inability of the eustachian tube to adequately perform and failure of the valve of the eustachian tube to open and or close properly.
The eustachian tube is the structure that links the nose and the middle ear. When functioning normally, it is a closed tube that opens when we swallow, yawn or chew. The eustachian tube exists to protect the middle ear from disease, to ventilate the middle ear, and to help secretions away from the middle ear.
What Are The Symptoms?
Common eustachian tube dysfunction symptoms include:
- Fullness of the ear
- Pain in the ear
- Muffled hearing
What Are Common Complications from Untreated ETD?
- Otitis media
- Damage to the middle ear
- Damage to the eardrum
- Perforation of the eardrum
- Cholesteatoma
- Collapse of the eardrum into the middle ear
What is the Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation System?
The ACCLARENT AERA™ system uses a small balloon to treat persistent Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD), a condition in which pressure, pain or clogged or muffled sensations occur in the ear. With the ACCLARENT AERA™ system, allows our otolaryngologists to use a small 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 and restore function. After the tube is dilated, the balloon is then removed.
Video Animation and Education
Reviewed by the board-certified otolaryngologists at Michigan Ear Institute
Still have questions? Ask one of our otolaryngologists!