Biomedical subjects

M Luntz

Publications and source records attributed to M Luntz.

61 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1986

The eustachian tube lumen in chronic otitis media.

The measurements of the size of the eustachian tube lumen, in its various regions, in adults are presented. The material consisted of serially sectioned eustachian tubes of 26 normal temporal bones and four pathologic temporal bones, three of them with simple chronic otitis media and one with cholesteatoma. These measurements reveal: (1) in adults (as in children) that there is a considerable variance of the eustachian tube lumen sizes corresponding to other variations in sizes of other organs; (2) no obstruction of the eustachian tube lumen was encountered in any of the pathologic specimens; and (3) there was no significant statistical difference between the lumen size of the eustachian tube retrieved from normal temporal bones compared with those from temporal bones with chronic otitis media.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

The infant's pre-tympanic region of the eustachian tube in health and disease.

The size of the eustachian tube lumen of the pre-tympanic segment in infants and children from birth up to two years is presented. The material consisted of serially sectioned 28 eustachian tubes of normal temporal bones and 13 eustachian tubes of temporal bones harboring acute and secretory otitis media. The size of the eustachian tube lumen was measured with the aid of a millimetric grid mounted on a microscope. These measurements have shown that: there is no increase in the lumen size of the pre-tympanic region of the auditory tube from birth to two years of age. Each age group presents a considerable range in luminal size, compatible with a natural biological distribution. No obstruction of the eustachian tube lumen was encountered in any of the pathological specimens. There is no significant statistical difference between the lumen size of the pre-tympanic region coming from normal temporal bones as compared to those from temporal bones with acute or secretory otitis media.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ciliary body ablation: where are we and how did we get here?

Management of intraocular pressure remains the cornerstone of glaucoma treatment. Related medical and surgical practices involve increasing aqueous outflow or decreasing aqueous production. Filtration procedures that increase aqueous outflow are the first-line surgical defense in glaucoma. However, some cases of glaucoma are resistant to such treatment. In these cases, ciliary body ablation by various methods has had substantial success. Surgical manipulation of aqueous production has been used in glaucoma management since the turn of the century. Techniques have progressed markedly as technology has produced more discrete therapies designed to decrease aqueous production by destroying ciliary body epithelium. Over the past 90 years success has been achieved with a wide range of techniques, from surgical disinsertion of the ciliary body to recent laser and ultrasound techniques. With the development of more precise contact lasers and endoscopic visualization, side effects have been reduced and clinical success rates increased.

Aqueous Humor↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Growth of the eustachian tube lumen with age.

We undertook measurements of the lumina of 115 eustachian tubes of various ages. Our results showed that, like any other body organ, the eustachian tube lumen grows with age. The cartilaginous part of the eustachian tube was found to grow considerably more than the bony part. These findings, which were statistically confirmed, appear to contradict the theory ascribing the high incidence of acute otitis media in children to an enhanced susceptibility to infection due to their having a wider eustachian tube than adults.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Diurnal fluctuations of middle ear pressures in atelectatic ears.

The tympanic membrane of 18 atelectatic ears was examined before and immediately after nocturnal sleep. On the patients' awakening, eight (44.4%) of these ears presented a spontaneous disappearance of the atelectasis. The original atelectatic state reappeared thereafter within 75 min (on average). This time corresponds to diffusion into the circulation of a gas mixture similar to air. The spontaneous autoinflation of atelectatic ears cannot therefore be explained by nocturnal CO2 diffusion into the middle ear, as CO2 would rediffuse in a matter of 5 min. Nocturnal relaxation of the Eustachian tube muscles with opening of the tube and influx of air into the middle ear is the suggested mechanism which may be at the root of the phenomenon described in this study. The phenomenon itself emphasizes the fluctuating nature of atelectatic conditions, and raises questions regarding the cardinal role played by swallowing in aerating the middle ear.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The eustachian tube muscles in otitis media. A comparison between eustachian tube muscles in healthy and inflamed ears.

The cross-sectional area of the tensor palati (TP) and levator palati (LP) muscles in the mid-portion of the Eustachian tube was measured in serially sectioned histological specimens of 35 temporal bones (TB). 17 of the TBs presented acute or secretory otitis media. The other 18 TBs showed no evidence of inflammatory disease. No significant differences were found between the mean sizes of the muscles coming from TBs with acute and secretory otitis media and of those from TBs without signs of inflammation. The cross-sectional area of the LP was found to be significantly larger than that of the TP. These results raise the question as to the actual role of the muscles' size in inflammatory middle ear disease in infants and children, and as to the role of the LP.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Modified radical mastoidectomies as gas pockets.

An analysis of 45 adult ears which underwent a modified radical mastoidectomy showed: (a) in practically all these ears a variable amount of air was present behind the tympanic membrane; (b) this air was in continuation with the Eustachian tube; (c) two-thirds of the ears showed a collapse of part of the tympanic membrane--located predominantly in the posterior superior parts of the middle ear. These findings indicate that these atelectatic ears are gas pockets which are not closed, yet suffer from an imbalance of gas diffusion--from or into the middle ear.

Air↗