Lymphatics in middle ear effusion

Serous middle ear effusions frequently fail to resolve, long after the causative inflammatory‐obstructive process of the tympanum and eustachian tube have cleared. A disruption of the normal subepithelial connective tissue and lymphatic function is postulated. An animal experiment is described which demonstrates an ability of particles, in the size range of transudate proteins, to cross the tympanic mucosa and be cleared by a healthy functioning lymphatic system.