Eustachian Tube: Structure, Function, and Role in Middle Ear Disease

When Charles Bluestone began his practice over 50 years ago, very little was known about middle-ear disease, in spite of its being the most common disease that clinicians in his field encounter. It has now been 40 years since Jack L. Paradise and he conducted their first investigation into the prevalence of otitis media in infants with cleft palate. Since then, he has devoted a major share of his professional career to understanding this disease and its impact on the health care of patients.This second edition includes a focus not only on the structure and function of the Eustachian tube (ET) and its role in the pathogenesis of middle-ear disease and related conditions, but also how this impacts the clinician's management of middle-ear disease. Presented in this one source is the current state of knowledge of the ET within its "system" (the nasal cavities, nasopharynx, and palate at its proximal end and the middle ear and mastoid gas cells at its distal end).Dr Bluestone also presents his hypotheses when definitive answers or consensus are not currently available. This volume contains a comprehensive review of all the research over the past 150 years along with updates covering the very latest research studies.It is the hope of the author that this second edition will stimulate more studies and help clinicians better understand ET function to provide the best possible health care to patients with middle-ear disease.Key Features:Brief and descriptive text, extensively illustrated.Current advances along with the history of research on the role of the Eustachian tube in middle-ear disease and its treatment.

Charles D. Bluestone, MD, is Distinguished Professor Emeritus Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and former Director and Eberly Professor, Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.