Preface; Introduction; History; The history of the anatomy and physiology of the fibrocartilaginous eustachian tube; Phylogeny; Phylogeny of hearing and auditory structures; Morphology and physiology; Developmental morphology of the middle ear cleft; Development of the fibrocartilaginous eustachian tube; Opening and closure of the fibrocartilaginous eustachian tube; Balance of pressure variations in the middle ear cleft; Inflammatory mediators, gas composition, and middle ear epithelial pathophysiology: an experimental approach using cell culture
Summary
Acute and chronic ear disease continues to be one of the leading diseases of childhood. Understanding eustachian tube function and management remains one of the most important aspects in controlling inflammatory ear disease. Chronic ear disease requires elaborate surgical interventions designed to bypass eustachian tube dysfunction and/or poor mastoid aeration, since surgical management of the eustachian tube has been elusive. Our understanding of the ear and hearing continues to expand at record pace, as auditory neuroscientists discover the fundamental molecular structure and function of the
