Özet:

Introduction: Atrophy in the middle ear and degeneration of muscle fibers, fibrous tissue ligament, and bone as well as calcification of Eustachian cartilage occurs with aging. We aimed to evaluate the middle ear system and changes in Eustachian tube functions in a geriatric group. Materials and Method: Study participants comprised 30 older and 30 younger individuals between the age of 65 and 84 years (74.3±5.4 years) and 18 and 45 years (30.4±4.2 years), respectively. All participants underwent immitancemetric measurements and Eustachian tube function tests after ear, nose, and throat examination. For the immitancemetric measurements, the ear canal volume, compliance, middle ear pressure, and gradient were evaluated. Valsalva and Toynbee maneuvers were used to perform the Eustachian tube function tests. Results: Non-significant differences were found between the two groups for the ear canal volume and middle ear pressure (p>0.05). While no significant difference was found for the left ear compliance values between the two groups (p>0.05), a significant difference between the left ear compliance and gradient values for both ears was found (p<0.05). Eustachian tube function tests showed no significant differences between the groups, based on the values obtained by Valsalva and Toynbee maneuvers. Conclusion: Eustachian tube functions in the geriatric group were found to be normal in this study. Bilateral gradient and right ear compliance values were higher in the geriatric group than in the control group indicating that the middle ear system in the geriatric group was more active.

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