patulous eustachian tubes

[doctormike]

In my own case, I can open my tubes and keep them open as long as I want, but I can also close them and keep them closed, for as long as I want.
I got the habit, since I was a child, to keep them open for long times, because I actually like the auditory effect of earing my own voice through the tubes.

Right, but that's not patulous Eustachian tubes.

 

[tridacna]

Right, but that's not patulous Eustachian tubes.

This is exactly what I was talking about in my request for Qualified Meds to answer med questions. Enough said.

 

[Ben Tetzner]

Hi @Ben Tetzner ,

Patulous eustachian tubes in and of themselves shouldn't present any risk with diving as long as you're consistently able to equalize your ears. You could be at higher theoretical risk of middle ear infection from water ingress but I don't know what the actual risk would be. The sounds created during diving could also become bothersome. May I ask what illness it was that brought this condition on? Also tagging @doctormike here, he is our resident ENT and may have more detailed information.

Best regards,
DDM

Yes, I got a bad case of flu and lost 50 lbs! When the weight returned my tubes no longer closed !

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Yes, I got a bad case of flu and lost 50 lbs! When the weight returned my tubes no longer closed !

Thanks for circling back on this! That's interesting and something I've never heard of, but @doctormike might have. Maybe something to do with tissue distribution with rapid weight gain? Are you under a physician's care for anything else?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[doctormike]

Thanks for circling back on this! That's interesting and something I've never heard of, but @doctormike might have. Maybe something to do with tissue distribution with rapid weight gain? Are you under a physician's care for anything else?

Best regards,
DDM

Sorry, haven't been on SB in a while, missed this! But yes, that has been reported:

Patulous eustachian tube in bariatric surgery patients - PubMed