To study ventilatory function of the Eustachian tube at normobaric state in sports SCUBA divers who are frequently exposed to hyperbaric condition, have to actively inflate the Eustachian tube to adjust surrounding pressure, authors evaluated 116
ears
of 58 SCUBA divers through modified 9 step method with tympanometry and we also evaluated the influential factors of some diving variables such as age, sex, duration, total number, frequency, mean depth and usual activity of diving to the tubal
function.
Diver group showed significantly higher rate of the Eustachian dysfunction (69.0%) than that of control group (46.4%). Age and mean depth of diving affect, not significantly, to the ventilatory function. In middle ear pressure change, diver group
showed
smaller change of pressure in all four maneuvers, Valsalva, Toynbee, inflation and deflation maneuver compared to control group but significantly only in Valsalva maneuver. Age significantly affect but duration, total number of diving and sex
affect,
not significantly, to the middle ear pressure change. We concluded that ventilatory function of the Eustachian tube at normobaric condition in sports SCUBA divers is significantly worse than that of normal and the older the divers, the worse the
ventilatory function. (Korean J Otolaryngol 38:7, 1995)
|