Anatomical and bio-mechanical characteristics of the Eustachian tube
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An assessment of the anatomical and bio-mechanical characteristics of the Eustachian tube in relation to balloon Eustachian tuboplasty
IRAS ID
173107
Contact name
Matthew Smith
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The Eustachian tube is an important structure linking the middle ear to the back of the nose, and allowing equalisation of middle ear pressure. Commonly in patients the Eustachian tube fails to open and this can cause a number of diseases. Balloon Eustachian Tuboplasty (BET) is a new minimally invasive surgical method of improving Eustachian tube opening, and has proved effective in initial clinical use.
This study is designed to investigate the structure of the Eustachian tube in relation to BET, and also to examine the pressure and strain that BET applies to the Eustachian tube. Firstly we will determine if ultrasound and optical coherence tomography catheters that are designed for intravascular use can be used to image the micro-architecture of the Eustachian tube in the same way they do vessel walls. If successful these techniques will be applied prior to, during and after BET. In some specimens the soft tissue part of the Eustachian tube will be removed and analysed under a microscope, to compare the imaging appearances to traditional histological assessment. Three-dimensional models of the tube will be constructed using both the imaging and histological techniques. Secondly, measurements of the pressure and volume applied to a selection of different sized balloons used in BET will be taken and used to assess the biomechanical properties of the Eustachian tube during dilatation. This work will lead to a better understanding of BET, and may provide opportunities to refine the technique.REC name
West of Scotland REC 5
REC reference
15/WS/0070
Date of REC Opinion
1 Apr 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion