Fluoroscopic balloon diameter measurement at different pressures during Eustachian balloon dilation.

Abstract

To measure the diameter of inflated balloons at different pressures during Eustachian tube (ET) balloon dilation under fluoroscopic guidance. Prospective cohort study. Tertiary academic referral centre. Eighteen patients who underwent ET balloon dilation with use of a balloon catheter, 20mm long and 6mm in diameter, under combined endoscopic and fluoroscopic guidance. Degrees of inflation at three different portions (proximal, middle and distal) of the balloon at controlled pressures (3, 5, 8 and 10 atmospheres [atm]) and at the maximum pressure manually applied. The mean proximal, middle and distal diameters of the inflated balloons were 5.3±0.4mm, 5.3±0.4mm and 4.9±0.5mm at 10atm. The distal diameters were significantly smaller than middle and proximal diameters at all the pressures (P<0.01). When compared to the distal diameter (100%, 4.9±0.5mm) at 10atm, the distal diameters were 73% (3.6±0.6mm) at 3atm, 88% (4.3±0.5mm) at 5atm and 96% (4.7±0.4mm) at 8atm. The distal diameter (4.1±0.3mm) at the maximum pressure manually applied was in between those at 3 and 5atm. The distal diameter of the balloon increased significantly as a function of the pressure and most (88%) inflation occurred at a low pressure of 5atm, which was sufficient to inflate the distal diameter of the balloon more than 3mm. The manual pressurisation could inflate a balloon by as much as could be expected, at between 3 and 5atm.