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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether tympanostomy tube (TT) inner diameter or shaft length impacts the rate of mucoid plug clearance.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Ex vivo model. Silicone TTs with different inner-diameters (ID) and shaft-length (SL) pairings (1.14 mm ID × 12 mm SL versus 1.14 mm ID × 1 mm SL; 1.14 mm ID × 4.8 mm SL versus 1.32 mm ID × 4.8 mm SL) were plugged with middle-ear mucus (n = 15 per group) and placed in a model ear chamber. Ofloxacin otic solution was instilled into the chamber to cover the plugged TT, and the time to clearance of each plug was recorded.

RESULTS: TTs with larger IDs (P = 0.019) and greater SLs (P = 0.033) cleared plugs more rapidly. However, the difference in the percentage of tubes that unplugged was not significant (P = 0.151).

CONCLUSIONS: Rate of ex vivo TT plug clearance may be altered by changing TT ID and SL.

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Opening plugged tympanostomy tubes: Effect of inner diameter and shaft length

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