PHX Reporter

• Causes of eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) include allergies, a common cold, the flu or chronic acid reflux.

• ETD may resolve on its own, but if symptoms last longer than two weeks, it's recommended to see a doctor.

• One treatment option is eustachian tuboplasty, also known as eustachian tube balloon dilation.

Dr. John Stewart of Arizona Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers told PHX Reporter about the stages of eustachian tube dysfunction, during which the sufferer's ears can feel clogged.

Eustachian tube dysfunction can be caused by allergies and infections such as the common cold or flu, as well as acid reflux and altitude changes. In many cases, ETD might resolve on its own, but doctors say if symptoms last longer than two weeks, it's time to seek medical attention. Some of those treatments may include eustachian tuboplasty, or balloon dilation, as well as other home-based remedies.

"Eustachian tube dysfunction can be simple, with mild symptoms, when the valve starts trying to regulate itself when it is malfunctioning in the initial stage. People will come in with simple popping and clicking, and they don't understand why this is starting to happen," Stewart said. "I tell them that it's a normal function, but it's probably the beginning stages of the valve being irritated. It's trying to react by opening and closing excessively. It's a pressure regulator valve. In the next stage, it will intermittently feel like your ear is stopped up. The best example of that is if you've been on a plane and, when you're descending, it feels like your ears pop and then open back up."

ETD gets its name from the eustachian tube, which connects the middle ears to the upper throat. So if a tube becomes blocked, it can cause hearing problems or ringing in the ears, balance problems, discomfort similar to an ear infection or a feeling of fullness in the ears, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

"A person with eustachian tube dysfunction will say, ‘It felt like it never opened back up again. If I could just pop that back open again and get that valve working.’ That's the middle stages of eustachian tube dysfunction," Stewart said. "The latter stages are when it never opens. If that valve stays shut for a prolonged period, they'll start to build an effusion, or fluid, behind the middle ear. That's the last stage." 

Experts call it "eustachian tube failure," according to Stewart, which is treated the same as any middle-ear fluid or infection. 

Some home remedies to resolve ETD include chewing gum, yawning, swallowing or using a saline nasal spray, according to the Cleveland Clinic. If ETD is caused by allergies, it often can be cleared up with an antihistamine or other over-the-counter medications. If ETD has been caused by an infection, it can be treated with antibiotics.  

"You try antibiotics and steroids to try to get rid of the fluid and get that valve to open up," Stewart said. "But it's also amenable to eustachian tuboplasty. The physiology of how it works is slightly different than the sinuses, but the overall gist of it is the same: helping that valve to get back to its normal function."

Also known as eustachian tube balloon dilation, eustachian tuboplasty involves a doctor inserting a small balloon through the nasal passage and into the eustachian tube, then inflating the balloon. After about two minutes, the balloon deflates and is removed. Patients often recover from the procedure within a day, the Cleveland Clinic reported.

Other surgical options include myringotomy, where a doctor makes a small incision in the eardrum, allowing fluid to drain from the middle ear, a process that typically requires a three- to four-week recovery time. Pressure equalization tubes are another option, in which tubes are placed by a surgeon inside the patient's ear drum to allow for proper ventilation to the middle ear. Equalization tubes typically are left in place for 12 to 18 months, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

If you're interested in learning more about diagnosis or treatment of ETD, please take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.