Quotes from Charles D. Bluestone

The term "alternobaric vertigo" was coined by Lundgren in 1965 to describe vertigo in deep-sea divers, but also referred to aircraft pilots in 1966.

Most experienced scuba divers frequently use the Valsalva maneuver on descent to prevent "locking" of the tube. Scuba diving in the presence of preexisting dysfunction of the tube, when nasal congestion develops, or both are risk factors for severe tubal problems and barotrauma. It is probably not wise for individuals with chronic ET dysfunction to pursue the sport of scuba diving.

Article F: Alternobaric Vertigo and Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. Charles D. Bluestone, MD; J. Douglas Swarts, PhD; Joseph M. Furman, MD, PhD; Robert F. Yellon, MD. Case Report: Persistent Alternobaric Vertigo at Ground Level due to Chronic Toynbee phenomenon. Laryngoscope 2012;122(4):868–72. The

On a limited experimental basis, I have used an ET cannula to instill an aqueous corticosteroid from an intranasal steroid nasal spray bottle into the middle ear of adults and have had success in clearing a middle-ear effusion.

Although rather rare, a person who has a preexisting narrow tubal lumen, such as the presence of acquired or congenital stenosis, may have severe discomfort on ascent, given the difficulty in passively opening the tube (i.e., higher opening pressures are required for the tube to open).