Abstract
Unmet needs in the treatment of chronic otitis media and Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) triggered the development of stents for the Eustachian tube (ET). In this study, for the first time, stents were placed in an artificially blocked ET to evaluate stent function. Eight adult female sheep were injected with stabilized hyaluronic acid (HA) on both sides to induce ETD. Subsequently, a tapered nitinol ET stent was inserted on one side, and animals were examined bilaterally by endoscopy, tympanometry, cone beam computed tomography, and final histology. Seven of the stents were placed in the desired cartilaginous portion of the ET. At the end of the study, one stented side appeared slightly open; all other ET orifices were closed. Tympanometry revealed re-ventilation of the middle ear in four out of seven correctly stented animals within 3 to 6 weeks after stent insertion. The major amount of HA was found at the pharyngeal orifice of the ET anterior to the stent. Thus, the stent position did not completely align with the HA position. While a functional analysis will require refinement of the experimental setup, this study provides first promising results for stent insertion in a sheep model of ETD.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Schmitt, K.; Timm, M.; Krüger, P.; Oppel, N.; Napp, A.; Pohl, F.; Schuon, R.; Kötter, L.; Bankstahl, M.; Lenarz, T.;
et al. First Investigation of a Eustachian Tube Stent in Experimentally Induced Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. Bioengineering 2024, 11, 1015.
https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11101015
AMA Style
Schmitt K, Timm M, Krüger P, Oppel N, Napp A, Pohl F, Schuon R, Kötter L, Bankstahl M, Lenarz T,
et al. First Investigation of a Eustachian Tube Stent in Experimentally Induced Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. Bioengineering. 2024; 11(10):1015.
https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11101015
Chicago/Turabian Style
Schmitt, Katharina, Malena Timm, Philipp Krüger, Niels Oppel, Alexandra Napp, Friederike Pohl, Robert Schuon, Lisa Kötter, Marion Bankstahl, Thomas Lenarz,
and et al. 2024. "First Investigation of a Eustachian Tube Stent in Experimentally Induced Eustachian Tube Dysfunction" Bioengineering 11, no. 10: 1015.
https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11101015
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