Conclusion: Patulous eustachian tube (ET) shows a wide range of manifestations from asymptomatic to severe disturbance in quality of life. Nasal instillation of saline should be attempted as the initial treatment for patulous ET.
Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of nasal instillation of saline as a treatment for patulous ET.
Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of 52 patients with patulous ET. They were treated with nasal instillation of saline, followed by assessment of subjective improvement after 2-8 weeks.
Results: The age distribution of the patients with patulous ET revealed two peaks, one with female predominance in the fourth decade, the other consisting mostly of aged male patients. Nasal instillation of saline was effective in 33 (63.5%) of 52 patients with patulous ET. In particular, 20 (80%) of the 25 patients with short duration of disease obtained some improvement from the treatment. More effectiveness was observed in males (81.8%) than in females (50.0%).