Politzerization, also called the Politzer maneuver or method, is a medical procedure

Medical procedure

A medical procedure is a course of action intended to achieve a result in the care of persons with health problems.A medical procedure with the intention of determining, measuring or diagnosing a patient condition or parameter is also called a medical test...

 that involves inflating the middle ear

Middle ear

The middle ear is the portion of the ear internal to the eardrum, and external to the oval window of the cochlea. The mammalian middle ear contains three ossicles, which couple vibration of the eardrum into waves in the fluid and membranes of the inner ear. The hollow space of the middle ear has...

 by blowing air up the nose

Human nose

The visible part of the human nose is the protruding part of the face that bears the nostrils. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, which consists mostly of cartilage and which separates the nostrils...

 during the act of swallowing

Swallowing

Swallowing, known scientifically as deglutition, is the process in the human or animal body that makes something pass from the mouth, to the pharynx, and into the esophagus, while shutting the epiglottis. If this fails and the object goes through the trachea, then choking or pulmonary aspiration...

. It is often performed to reopen the Eustachian tube

Eustachian tube

The Eustachian tube is a tube that links the nasopharynx to the middle ear. It is a part of the middle ear. In adult humans the Eustachian tube is approximately 35 mm long. It is named after the sixteenth-century anatomist Bartolomeo Eustachi...

 and equalise pressure in the sinuses

Paranasal sinus

Paranasal sinuses are a group of four paired air-filled spaces that surround the nasal cavity , above and between the eyes , and behind the ethmoids...

.

The procedure was derived from a medical experiment first performed by Ádám Politzer

Ádám Politzer

Adam Politzer was a Hungarian and Austrian physician and one of the pioneers and founders of otology.- Life :Adam Politzer was born in Alberti , near the city of Budapest, to a well-to-do Jewish family....

 of Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 that involved studying the air movement through the Eustachian tube by connecting a manometer to the external auditory canal meatus

Ear

The ear is the organ that detects sound. It not only receives sound, but also aids in balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system....

 and another manometer in the pharynx

Pharynx

The human pharynx is the part of the throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and anterior to the esophagus and larynx. The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections: the nasopharynx , the oropharynx , and the laryngopharynx...

. His first results on the technique were published in 1861 and he introduced a pear-shaped rubber air-bag for performing the procedure in 1863, which came to be known as a Politzer bag. This system was far more practical and less difficult for the patient than catheterizing the Eustachian tube and brought fame to Politzer.

Use in Clinical Devices

One device that utilizes Politzeration is the EarPopper, developed by Shlomo Silman, Ph.D., professor of hearing sciences and audiology at Brooklyn College, CUNY, and otolaryngologist Daniel Arick, M.D. The EarPopper is a hand-held, battery-operated device that delivers controlled air flow through the nostril and can be used by the patient without medical supervision. Clinical studies have demonstrated the device's efficacy in the treatment of ear blockage caused by Eustachian Tube Dysfunction and Otitis Media with Effusion

Otitis media

Otitis media is inflammation of the middle ear, or a middle ear infection.It occurs in the area between the tympanic membrane and the inner ear, including a duct known as the eustachian tube. It is one of the two categories of ear inflammation that can underlie what is commonly called an earache,...

.

External links

• Adam Politzer. ENTLink.
• Mudry, A. The Role of Adam Politzer in the History of Otology. Am. J. Otol. 21:753-763, 2000.
• Website of the EarPopper medical device, www.earpopper.com