Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26922743›Full record

SynthesisNeuroradiology2016

Imaging of the Eustachian tube and its function: a systematic review.

M E Smith, D J Scoffings, J R Tysome

Open access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neuroradiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
51citing papers in PubMed
5.4field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

51 citing papers in PubMed, 112 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Fusing MRI and CBCT: Muscle atrophy as key to explaining eustachian tube dysfunction?European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Visualization of the Eustachian Tube Cartilage on Delayed Contrast-enhanced 3D-MR Imaging: A Preliminary Comparison between Ionic and Non-ionic Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents.Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine · 2026
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

M E SmithDepartment of ENT Surgery, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK. mes39@cam.ac.uk.
D J ScoffingsDepartment of Radiology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
J R TysomeDepartment of ENT Surgery, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · GBAddenbrooke's Hospital · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe Eustachian tube is a complex and inaccessible structure, which maintains middle ear ventilation to facilitate transmission of sound from the tympanic membrane to the cochlea. A renewed interest in treatments for eustachian tube dysfunction has led to a demand for methods of imaging the Eustachian tube, and assessing tube opening non-invasively. This review aims to summarise the use of imaging in the anatomical assessment of the Eustachian tube, and to explore how radiological techniques can be used to assess tube function.

methodsA systematic review of the literature was performed with narrative data analysis.

resultsWith high-resolution images, the soft and bony anatomy of the Eustachian tube can be assessed in detail. CT and MRI are best suited to identifying features associated with obstructive or patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction, though true assessments of function have only been achieved with contrast enhanced radiographs and scintigraphy. A single modality has yet to provide a complete assessment. No test has entered routine clinical use, but further development and research is underway.

conclusionSignificant information can be gained from imaging the Eustachian tube, and as faster acquisition techniques are developed, it is possible that dynamic imaging of tubal opening could play an important role in the assessment of patients with ET dysfunction.

Indexed as

Diagnosis, DifferentialEar DiseasesEustachian TubeHumansImage EnhancementImage Interpretation, Computer-AssistedMagnetic Resonance ImagingReproducibility of ResultsSensitivity and SpecificityTomography, X-Ray ComputedAnatomyDiagnostic imagingEustachian tubeRadiology

Identifiers

PMID26922743
PMCPMC4877436
OpenAlexW2280993021

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.