Here’s a look at what balloon dilation entails, as well as some other more recent management methods.
Balloon Dilation for Dilatory Dysfunction
Peter Catalano, MD, chief of otolaryngology at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, professor of otolaryngology at Tufts University School of Medicine, and medical director of research for Steward Health Care, all in Boston, Mass., was the first to perform this procedure in the U.S. with the technologies currently available. “I developed a way to anesthetize the Eustachian tube lumen for in-office dilation and replace myringotomy and tube insertion with a simple technique that could also be used as an adjunct to other nasal and sinus surgeries in the operating room,” he said.
In short, the procedure entails inserting a specially designed catheter with a small balloon at the tip through the nose and into the Eustachian tube, inflating it, and then withdrawing it, Dr. McCoul said.
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