Microendoscopy of the eustachian tube and the middle ear

Juergen U. G. Hopf M.D.; Marietta Linnarz M.D.; Peter Gundlach; Hans H. Scherer M.D.; C. Lutze-Koffroth; S. Loerke; Karl H. Voege; Johannes Tschepe; Gerhard J. Mueller

doi:10.1117/12.60249

1 August 1992 Microendoscopy of the eustachian tube and the middle ear

Juergen U. G. Hopf M.D., Marietta Linnarz M.D., Peter Gundlach, Hans H. Scherer M.D., C. Lutze-Koffroth, S. Loerke, Karl H. Voege, Johannes Tschepe, Gerhard J. Mueller

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 1649, Optical Fibers in Medicine VII; (1992) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.60249
Event: OE/LASE '92, 1992, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

Progressive miniaturization of flexible fiberoptic instruments has made it possible to perform atraumatic endoscopy of the Eustachian tube and tympanic cavity with an intact ear drum. By means of a special set of carrier- and balloon-catheters which are partly actively steerable, flexible microendoscopes with outside diameters of 290 - 700 micrometers are inserted through the nasal cavity into the nasopharyngeal opening of the Eustachian tube and carefully advanced into the middle ear compartment under permanent direct visual control. Second generation microendoscopes with outside diameters of 750 to 1000 micrometers are equipped with a one- direction tip-steering mechanism which allows deflection up to 90 degrees. In addition to it, the use of two special types of four-function scopes (outside diameter: 1.6 mm and 1.8 mm) fitted with a one-lumen working channel are presented. This new technique of `Transnasal Tubo-Tympanoscopy' (TTT) only needs local anesthesia, normally is performed on an outpatient basis, and is indicated for the diagnosis of any disturbances of the sound conducting apparatus (ear drum and ossicular chain) like chronic otitis media and oto-sclerosis and of those sensorineural hearing disorders on which -- until today -- only the traditional surgical tympanoscopy could provide morphological information on the pathogenesis of the hearing loss, e.g., on assumed round window ruptures. By this minimal invasive and minimal traumatizing method pathological alterations of the ossicular chain as well as obstructions in the cartilaginous and the osseous part of the Eustachian tube can be directly visualized.

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Juergen U. G. Hopf M.D., Marietta Linnarz M.D., Peter Gundlach, Hans H. Scherer M.D., C. Lutze-Koffroth, S. Loerke, Karl H. Voege, Johannes Tschepe, and Gerhard J. Mueller "Microendoscopy of the eustachian tube and the middle ear", Proc. SPIE 1649, Optical Fibers in Medicine VII, (1 August 1992); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.60249

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