Abnormally wide eustachian tubes involving the sphenoid bone: A collection

Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2018 Apr 25;3(3):214-217. doi: 10.1002/lio2.158. eCollection 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: To present nine patients with an abnormal widened bony Eustachian tube running anteriorly in the skull base through the sphenoid bone.

Methods: Patients with a particular anomaly in the bony Eustachian tube incidentally found on CT examinations were registered consecutively over a period of four years.

Results: Nine patients had the anomaly, eight unilaterally and one bilaterally. All our patients had additional anomalies involving the outer, middle, and/or inner ear.

Conclusion: The consequences of this anomaly remain unknown, but the presence of the widened, bony ET should increase the awareness for complex temporal bone deformities and vice versa.

Level of evidence: 4.

Keywords: Eustachian tube; anomaly; skull base; sphenoid bone.