Autophony

Autophony is a condition in which a person hears their own voice, breathing, chewing, or other body sounds abnormally loudly, often with a hollow or echoing quality. The term comes from the Greek words for "self" and "sound." Most people occasionally notice their own voice in a mild way when their ears are blocked. Autophony becomes clinically significant when it is persistent, pronounced, and distressing.

The most common cause is a patulous Eustachian tube, a condition in which the Eustachian tube remains open rather than staying closed during quiet periods. Normally the Eustachian tube opens briefly during swallowing and yawning. When it stays open, body-conducted sounds (including the person's own voice and breathing) travel directly into the middle ear and are perceived as abnormally loud. Autophony can also occur in superior semicircular canal dehiscence, a condition where a gap in the temporal bone creates an abnormal third window in the inner ear.

Diagnosis involves clinical history, tympanometry, and in some cases CT imaging of the temporal bone. Treatment depends on the cause and may range from saline nasal irrigation and lifestyle measures to surgical intervention.