Just two months after FDA approval, Paul Lomeo, D.O., has brought a state-of-the-art treatment to the Lakeshore. In November, he performed the first Eustachian tube balloon dilation procedure in all of Michigan.
On September 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permitted marketing a device that uses a small balloon to treat persistent Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD), a condition in which pressure, pain or clogged or muffled sensations occur in the ear.
Dr. Lomeo is an ENT-otolaryngologist with Shoreline ENT where he has been in practice for 25 years, averaging more than 1,000 surgical cases annually. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Osteopathic Foundation of West Michigan.
“With the new device, I am able to insert a small balloon through the patient’s nose and into the Eustachian tube,” Dr. Lomeo explained. “Once in place, I inflate the balloon which dilates the Eustachian tube, opening it up to flow properly. Then I deflate and remove the balloon.”
According to the FDA website, in a study of 299 patients with chronic ETD, the new procedure has a 52% success rate six weeks after treatment where traditional therapies (nasal spray) have a success rate of just 14%.
Dr. Lomeo has embraced other innovative procedures, including a similar dilation treatment for chronic sinusitis. He was the first in Michigan to perform balloon sinuplasty in 2005. “Technology is advancing at an impressive rate,” says Dr. Lomeo. “When we bring these groundbreaking procedures to our community, it allows us to care for our patients more effectively and with less invasive procedures. Patients seem happy with the recovery time and the outcomes.”
Paul Lomeo, DO, Performs Michigan’s First Balloon Dilation Procedure for Ears
