[The effectiveness of endoscopic tragus cartilage-perichondrium myringoplasty in the treatment of large tympanic membrane perforations]

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate effectiveness of endoscopic tragus cartilage-perichondrium in the treatment of large tympanic membrane perforations.

Method: Patients with large tympanic membrane perfortations who had underwent cartilage-perichondrium myringoplasty were retrospectively retrieved from our department. Those with a follow-up of equal to or greater than 12 months after surgery were included in the study. Hearing test results were reported using a four-frequency air conduction and bone-air conduction gap. Patients were labeled as treatment success if the tympanic membrane was intact without lateralization or anterior blunting after surgery.

Result: Of the 35 patients with large tympanic membrane perforations treated by endoscopic tragus cartilage-perichondrium, 33 (94.3%) were treatment success. There was no graft lateralization, anterior blunting, neocholesteatoma, and sensorineural hearing loss in these patients after surgery. The air conduction and bone-air conduction gap before surgery in the study cohort were (43.8 ± 5.7) dB and (28.5 ± 3.1) dB, respectively. Postoperative air conduction and bone-air conduction gap of the cohort were (31.4 ± 6.4) dB HL and (16.2 ± 4.1) dB, respectively. The postoperative air conduction and bone-air conduction gap decreased significantly after surgery (P < 0.01). Overall postoperative air-bone gap in 27 of the 35 patients (77%) were less than 20 dB after surgery.

Conclusion: Endoscopic cartilage-perichondrium myringoplasty is an effective procedure in the treatment of large tympanic membrane perforations.