Abstract
BackgroundNowadays, radiotherapy is widely used in management of many types of tumors including head and neck tumors; in this study, we concerned with its reverse effects on the Eustachian tube functions and if this effect is temporary or permanent.ResultsThe whole (30) patients have tympanogram at both ears before starting radiotherapy; all patients (100%) were normal. In the immediate post radiotherapy tympanogram at the contralateral side, 6.7% of patients had effusion, and 20% had Eustachian tube dysfunction, while at the ipsilateral side, 20% of patients had effusion, and 33.3% had ET dysfunction. In the follow-up tympanogram 12 weeks post radiotherapy, we found that 6.7% of patients had effusion, and (10%) had Eustachian tube dysfunction at the contralateral side, while 6.7% of patients had effusion, and only 20% had Eustachian tube dysfunction at the ipsilateral side.ConclusionFrom this study, we concluded that patients with head and neck tumors treated by radiotherapy (apart from the nasopharynx) have a high incidence of affection of Eustachian tube function namely middle ear effusion and Eustachian tube dysfunction. The possibility for development of middle ear effusion and Eustachian tube dysfunction increases with increased tumor stage. Eustachian tube functions immediately post radiotherapy and after 12 weeks of the end of radiotherapy was affected by different effects according to the tumor site. The Eustachian tube functions significantly improved within 12 weeks after the last dose of radiotherapy, and we recommend audiological follow-up for patients with head and neck tumors treated with radiotherapy.
Highlights
Nowadays, radiotherapy is widely used in management of many types of tumors including head and neck tumors; in this study, we concerned with its reverse effects on the Eustachian tube functions and if this effect is temporary or permanent
Suitable analysis was done according to the type of data obtained for each variable. p values less than 0.05 (5%) was considered to be statistically significant. This was a prospective study conducted on 30 patients with head or neck tumors to evaluate the effect of radiotherapy in patient with head and neck tumors on the Eustachian tube (ET)
Comparative study according to tumor site Tympanogram findings at immediate post radiotherapy at glottic, sub glottic, supra glottis, parotid, and tongue tumors revealed a significant increase in ipsilateral ET dysfunction in sub and supra glottic groups, compared with the glottic group, with a significant statistical difference (P = 0.037) and revealed non-significant difference as regards contralateral ET dysfunction (p > 0.05)
Summary
Radiotherapy is widely used in management of many types of tumors including head and neck tumors; in this study, we concerned with its reverse effects on the Eustachian tube functions and if this effect is temporary or permanent. Radiation is widely used in treatment of many types of tumors including head and neck tumors and the increasing proportion of patients who survive the disease; physicians should be aware of the risks of radiation on their patients. We discussed the pathophysiology of radiation injuries to the soft tissue of the temporal bone especially the Eustachian tube. Our aim is to evaluate the effect of radiotherapy (RT) as one of the modalities of treatment in patients with head and neck tumors on the Eustachian tube functions at the ipsilateral and contralateral ears
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