Blockage of the Eustachian tube is associated with symptoms including a fullness or blockage in the ear, along with hearing loss. The condition is also thought to be associated with chronic ear infections, perforations and cholesteatoma.
Eustachian tube surgery to clean or widen the tube has been performed around the world for over 8 years and the balloon has become available in Australia since 2016.
Dr Nirmal Patel has trained overseas with the technique and published on the method from work in his laboratory. See recent ENT articles here.
The procedure is a day surgery technique to requires 1-2 days off work. In large research studies the procedure is 50% successful in relieving symptoms over a 24 months.
OTHER DISEASE PROCESSES
OTHER DISEASE PROCESSES
Got a question you would like to ask Dr Nirmal Patel?