Middle Ear Effusion in Patients with Sinonasal Cancer Treated by Surgery with or without Radiotherapy

Objective. To identify the prevalence and risk factors of eustachian tube dysfunction after surgery for sinonasal cancer by observing the occurrence of middle ear effusion. Study Design. Historical cohort study. Setting. Academic university hospital. Subjects and Methods. Clinical records of 112 patients surgically treated for sinonasal cancer over a 16-year period were evaluated. Initial bivariate analysis was followed by a multivariate logistic regression model. Results. The best model included 2 variables: posterior extension of surgical resection (nasopharynx, soft palate, eustachian tube, pterygomaxillary fossa, parapharyngeal space) with an odds ratio of 5.662 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.877-9.447) and postoperative radiotherapy with an odds ratio of 8.691 (95% CI, 4.187-13.194). Conclusion. Despite the limited number of patients, the study gives a prediction of middle ear effusion based on 2 well-defined factors: surgical resection of anatomic structures involved in tubal function and adjuvant radiotherapy.