Efficacy of balloon Eustachian tuboplasty on the quality of life in children with Eustachian tube dysfunction

Abstract

Background: Balloon Eustachian Tuboplasty (BET) is used as a second-line treatment in cases in which adenoidectomy, paracentesis, and VT have failed. However, studies have not investigated the efficacy of this procedure as a first-line treatment.Objectives: To evaluate the quality of life in children with chronic Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) after BET using the Otitis Media-6 (OM-6) questionnaire.Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the data of 62 children with chronic dysfunction ETD and divided patients into the following groups: 30 cases underwent BET (group 1), and 32 cases underwent ventilation tube (VT) insertion from July 2016 to April 2018. The children’s parents were instructed to complete the OM-6 questionnaire preoperatively and at 6 weeks and 1 year postoperatively.Results:. The average preoperative scores were higher than the postoperative scores, and the average 6-week postoperative scores were higher than the average 1-year postoperative scores for both groups 1 and 2. Further, the average 6-week postoperative scores from patients in group 2 were significantly higher than those in group 1.Conclusion and significance: Our results demonstrate that BET may be a safe, first-line intervention that positively effects the quality of life in children with chronic ETD.