Background: Paper patching, a method that places cigarette paper over the most mobile quadrants of the tympanic membrane, is one of the treatment options for patulous eustachian tube (PET).
Aims/objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of two different treatment strategies for PET.
Material and methods: Twenty-three patients underwent paper patching of the tympanic membrane and 16 patients were treated with nasal saline irrigation with or without ipratropium bromide nasal spray. Medical records were reviewed for resolution of PET symptoms as categorical variables (complete remission, partial remission, or no improvement) with a minimum follow-up of 3 months.
Results: Immediately after undergoing paper patching, 20 of the 23 patients (87.0%) reported complete remission (CR). The percentage of CR after paper patching was 82.6% at 1 month and 65.2% at 3 months. A greater percentage of patients reported CR of aural symptoms in the paper patching group than in the nasal irrigation group at both 1 and 3 months after treatment (p < .05).
Conclusions and significance: Repetitive paper patching resolves aural discomfort in most PET patients for at least 3 months and can be considered as a first-line treatment option for PET in the outpatient setting.
Keywords: Patulous eustachian tube; aural symptoms; nasal saline irrigation; paper patching.