Can you hear me now? A genetic model of otitis media with effusion
J. Clin. Invest. Evelyn Lazaridis, et al. 118:471 doi:10.1172/JCI33716 [Go to this article.]

Figure 1
ET physiology. (A) The normal ET. The ET, which joins the nasopharynx at the torus tubarius and joins the middle-ear cavity at the ostium, permits airflow between the middle-ear cavity and nasopharynx, balancing middle-ear pressure with ambient air pressure. Also, middle-ear secretions are swept into the nasopharynx (clearance) from the middle-ear cavity. (B) Mechanical obstruction of the ET may occur at the torus tubarius by adenoid hypertrophy or edema (B), or at the ostium in the middle-ear cavity by perhaps a polyp or a cholesteatoma (C). The pathologies shown in B or C block air flow and the clearance of middle-ear cavity secretions though the ET, increasing middle-ear negative pressure (P^–) and accumulation of middle-ear secretions. An intrinsic ET obstruction may also result from epithelium inflammation (D), secondary to nasal infection or allergy. This also results in middle-ear negative pressure and secretion accumulation. TM, tympanic membrane.