Three-Dimensional Assessment of Eustachian Tube in Patients With Cleft Palate Versus Controls: A CBCT Study

Objective To compare the morphological characteristics of the Eustachian tube (ET) between patients with cleft palate and healthy controls with the use of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Design Retrospective assessment of treated nonsyndromic patients with cleft palate and a control group. Participants CBCT images of 51 patients with cleft palate who had previously undergone surgery to close the cleft palate and a control group of 51 patients were included in this study. Syndromic patients were excluded. Methods The cleft group were divided into 3 groups according to the palatoplasty technique, which was done in the infancy period to close the cleft palate (Nadjmi modification of Furlow, Sommerlad, and V-Y pushback). Finally, ET length (ETL), ET angle, and auditory tube angle (ATA) were measured in all patients. Results The ETL, ETA, and ATA in the cleft and the normal control groups were 29.73 +/- 3.14 and 32.18 +/- 3.34 mm, 33.18 +/- 2.57 and 35.40 +/- 3.93, and 141.64 +/- 4.13 and 138.87 +/- 4.96, respectively. All 3 features were statistically significant among the groups (All Ps < .05). ETL and ETA were significantly higher in Nadjmi modification of Furlow and Sommerlad palatoplasty techniques compared to the V-Y pushback technique, while there was no significant difference in the ATA between the palatoplasty groups. Conclusions Cleft palate can significantly affect the morphological characteristics of the ET. Type of the infancy palatoplasty can influence some of its dimensions.