The efficacy of the Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire (ETDQ-7) for patulous Eustachian tube patient

Abstract

Objective: To assess the efficacy of the Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire (ETDQ-7) for patulous Eustachian tube (PET) patients.

Methods: A prospective survey of medical records identified 36 patients and 47 ears with PET, and 15 patients and 15 ears as control. The ETDQ-7, patulous Eustachian tube handicap inventory-10 (PHI-10) and Likert scale were evaluated. PET patients were divided into two groups based on severity of symptoms using the PHI score.

Results: The Cronbach α value of the PET group was 0.765. The average total score of the ETDQ-7 in the control group was 7.6 ± 1.1 and 22.5 ± 10.0 in the PET group (p < .01). No correlation was found between ETDQ-7 and Likert scale (r = 0.248, p = .09). The average total score of the ETDQ-7 in the mild or moderate PET group was 19.9 ± 9.0 and 25.3 ± 11.1 in the severe PET group and this was not statistically different (p = .08).

Conclusion: The highest ETDQ-7 score was also observed in PET patients and in ET dysfunction patients. These findings necessitate careful discrimination between ET dysfunction and PET in balloon dilation Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) based on ETDQ-7.

Chinese abstract

目的：评估咽鼓管功能障碍问卷调查（ETDQ-7）对张咽鼓管（PET）患者的效用。

方法：对医疗记录进行前瞻性调查, 确定了36例患者和47例患有PET的耳朵, 15例病人和15个耳作为对照。评估了ETDQ-7、张咽鼓管障碍清单-10（PHI-10）和Likert量表。使用PHI评分, 根据症状严重程度将PET患者分为两组。

结果：PET组的Cronbachα值为0.765。 对照组的ETDQ-7平均总分为7.6 ± 1.1, PET组为22.5 ± 10.0（p <01）。 ETDQ-7和Likert量表之间没有相关性（r = 0.248, p = .09）。轻度或中度PET组的ETDQ-7平均总分为19.9 ± 9.0, 在重度PET组为25.3 ± 11.1, 这样的差异无统计学意义（p = 0.08）。

结论：在PET患者和ET功能障碍患者中也观察到最高的ETDQ-7评分。由于这些发现, 有必要根据ETDQ-7, 对气囊扩张咽鼓管成形术（BET）中的咽鼓管功能障碍和张咽鼓管分别对待。

Keywords:

• Patulous Eustachian tube
• Eustachian tube dysfunction
• ETDQ-7
• middle ear

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the institutional review board of Sen-En hospital.

B: The PHI-10 questionnaire.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI grant number 15K20175 and the Project Promoting Clinical Trials for Development of New Drugs and Medical Devices (Japan Medical Association) from Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, AMED.