Eustachian tubes Health Dictionary

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Eustachian Tubes: From 1 Different Sources

The passages, one on each side, leading from the throat to the middle ear. Each is about 38 mm (1••• inches) long and is large at either end, though at its narrowest part it only admits a ?ne probe. The tubes open widely in the act of swallowing or yawning. The opening into the throat is situated just behind the lower part of the nose, so that a catheter can be passed through the corresponding nostril into the tube for in?ation of the middle ear. (See also EAR; NOSE.)
Health Source: Medical Dictionary
Author: Health Dictionary

Fallopian Tubes

Tubes, one on each side, lying in the pelvic area of the abdomen, which are attached at one end to the UTERUS, and have the other unattached but lying close to the ovary (see OVARIES). Each is 10–12·5 cm (4–5 inches) long, large at the end next to the ovary, but communicating with the womb by an opening which admits only a bristle. These tubes conduct the ova (see OVUM) from the ovaries to the interior of the womb. Blockage of the Fallopian tubes by a chronic in?ammatory process resulting from infection is a not uncommon cause of infertility in women. (See ECTOPIC PREGNANCY; REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM.)... fallopian tubes

Eustachian Tube

The passage that runs from the middle ear into the back of the nose, just above the soft palate. The tube acts as a drainage channel from the middle ear and maintains hearing by opening periodically to regulate air pressure. The lower end of the tube opens during swallowing and yawning, allowing air to flow up to the middle ear, equalizing the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum.

When a viral infection such as a cold causes blockage of the eustachian tube, equalization cannot occur, resulting in severe pain and temporary impairment of hearing. A person with a blocked eustachian tube who is subjected to rapid pressure changes may suffer from barotrauma. Glue ear or chronic otitis media may occur if the tube is blocked, preventing adequate drainage from the middle ear. These conditions, which often result in partial hearing loss are more common in children. This is partly because their adenoids are larger and more likely to cause a blockage if they become infected and partly because children’s eustachhian tubes are shorter than those of adults.... eustachian tube

Bronchial Tubes

See AIR PASSAGES; BRONCHUS; LUNGS.... bronchial tubes

Balloon Eustachian Tuboplasty

a surgical procedure used to treat dysfunction of the *Eustachian tube. A small balloon is inserted from the *nasopharynx into the Eustachian tube in a deflated state under endoscopic control. It is then inflated to widen the Eustachian tube before being deflated and removed.... balloon eustachian tuboplasty

Southey’s Tubes

fine-calibre tubes for insertion into subcutaneous tissue to drain excess fluid. They are rarely used in practice today. [R. Southey (1835–99), British physician]... southey’s tubes

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