Roaring in the ears: Patulous Eustachian tube in bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract

We report a 64-year-old female with predominantly bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who experienced ‘roaring’ in her ears. She was diagnosed with patulous Eustachian tube, which is presumed to occur secondary to bulbar weakness. The roaring adversely affected the management of her ALS by impairing her ability to tolerate BiPaP. A review of the relevant literature is reported.

Key words::

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• motor neuron disease
• patulous Eustachian tube

Acknowledgements

Kerri Schellenberg is the recipient of the Betty Norman Research Fellowship, ALS Society of Canada. Richard Bedlack is a speaker for Lilly, Pfizer and Athena Diagnostics, a consultant for UCB Pharma, and has a grant from the ALS Association. Debara Tucci has nothing to disclose.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.