Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Evaluation of the Eustachian Tube in Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate Compared With Normal Controls

Abstract

The authors compared the morphological features of the Eustachian tube (ET) between patients with cleft lip and palate (CL/P) and normal controls using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). CBCT images of 51 CL/P patients (28 males and 23 females, mean age: 18.5 +/- 8.0 years) and a control group of 52 patients (22 males and 30 females, mean age: 25.23 +/- 10.65 years) were retrospectively evaluated. The Eustachian tube angle (ETA), Eustachian tube length (EL), and auditory tube angle (ATA) were measured on CBCT images. The ETA, EL, and ATA in the CL/P and normal control groups were 30.4 +/- 6.2 and 36.7 +/- 7.5 degrees; 24.7 +/- 3.7 and 27.7 +/- 4.3 mm; and 142.4 +/- 7.8 and 136.3 +/- 4.1 degrees, respectively. All between-group differences were statistically significant (allP < 0.05). There were no significant between-gender differences in either group (allP > 0.05). Continuous variables were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test. The morphological features of the ET, measured via multiplanar reconstruction CBCT, differed between CL/P patients and normal controls. CBCT can be used to evaluate ET morphological features.