Radiopaque contrast dye in nasopharynx reaches the middle ear during swallowing and/or yawning

Conclusion

Contrast dye in the nasopharynx reaches the middle ear during swallowing and yawning in normal adults. This suggests that displacement of bacteria in nasopharyngeal secretion to the middle ear may occur frequently during sleep.

Objective

The middle ear is sterile under normal conditions. The purpose of this study was to examine by means of CT whether radiopaque contrast dye in the nasopharynx would reflux into the middle ear of normal adults during swallowing and/or yawning.

Material and methods

Six normal adult volunteers were studied. Contrast dye was kept at the orifices of the Eustachian tube during swallowing and/or yawning by placing volunteers in either a head-down or lateral decubitus position. Reflux was determined by the presence of contrast dye in the middle ear on CT scanning of the temporal bone.

Results

Two of the three volunteers in each group (four out of six in total) had contrast material detected in one or both middle ear cavities.

• Bacteria
• Eustachian tube
• otitis media