ETD / skull base tumor removal

Tinnitus
#1

Hi,

I had a skull base tumor removed (parotidectomy) one year ago after experiencing headaches, ear pressure and tinnitus for a year. The tumor was discovered during a routine brain MRI. I am pretty sure that the tumor did a lot of pressure on my eustachian tube because if was deep in my skull. I felt much better after the surgery, but I still occasionally feel pressure in my ear, tinnitus and sometimes get headaches. I am convinced that the surgery left an inner scar and partially clogged my Eustachian tube because I can feel it.

I saw an ENT who performs balloon dilation. He introduced a camera into my nose and could see the Eustachian tube opening but not the entire tube. My audiogram was normal, so he said I couldn’t get insurance approval.

  1. Do you know of any ENT who can perform a complete Eustachian tube endoscopy?
  2. Has anyone ever been treated with balloon dilation even if their audiogram was normal, and did it help?
  3. If someone had a similar problem related to Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) after tumor removal, please share your experience.

Thanks a lot.

#2

I have Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. Apparently I’ve had it all my life. It led to cholesteotoma build up in my mastoid, which effectively destroyed my middle ear bones. Happily, new developments at the time allowed my Hammer, Anvil and Srtirrup to be reconstructed in both ears–but not restored to optimum capacity. anyway, my often clogged eustachian tubes today cause me endless annoyance, speaking as a musician.

My specialists have all told me that the balloon dilation had poor and non lasting results. Sorry! but this is true after 15 years of trial results, or more.

–I have a BAHA–bone anchored hearing aid. For those of us with primarily conductive loss, this is a brilliant device. If your auditory nerve is functional, but you have conductive loss, a BAHA is a possible answer. I love my Cochlear Osia. And it was my ETD that allowed Kaiser to cover its cost for me. For everyday use, a BAHA circumvents the eustachian tube clogging of hearing. Voices are bright, loud and pristine, even when allergies clog my eustachian tubes.

#3

Thanks. How did you find out about your destroyed middle ear bone? What kind of exam?