Book excerpt: This book, written by international experts, is a detailed guide to the Eustachian tube, with emphasis on those aspects of most relevance to the practitioner. The opening chapters document the clinical anatomy and provide essential information on physiology, with explanation of the new model of tubal mechanics. Diagnosis and therapy for the patulous Eustachian tube are then discussed, placing special emphasis on a novel conservative treatment regimen that has proven to be a breakthrough for patients with this clinical syndrome. A further extensive chapter examines overall function of the Eustachian tube, primarily from the middle ear surgeon’s viewpoint. Tuboplasty procedures, including laser tuboplasty, and tympanoplasty are described, and the implications of different middle ear pathologies for surgical treatment are explained. The previously unpublished treatment methods that are described in this book will be invaluable in ensuring the best possible clinical outcomes.