Does young otologists’ method of initiation to tympanoplasty make a difference?

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to identify which surgical method will provide an easier initiation to tympanoplasty for young otolaryngology residents and which method will achieve more successful results. Patients and Methods: The files of 58 patients who underwent type 1 tympanoplasty were retrospectively reviewed between September 2020 and September 2021. Patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical procedure as the microscopic (MT) and the endoscopic (ET) group. The ET group included 30 patients (16 females, 14 males; median age: 36.5 years range, 18 to 56 years), and the MT group included 28 patients (15 males, 13 females; median age: 29.5 years; range, 18 to 52 years). The two groups were compared in terms of pre- and postoperative audiometry results and graft success rates. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of pre- and postoperative air-bone conduction pure tone averages and air-bone gap (p>0.05). Air-bone gap gain was 13 dB in the ET group and 9.42 dB in the MT group, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The graft success rate was 86.7% in the ET group and 75% in the MT group, but there was no significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: Although the air-bone gap gain was better in the ET group in our study, it can be said that this difference was clinically negligible. We believe that conducting such a study with more surgeons and surgical cases may guide the otolaryngology residents to start type 1 tympanoplasty surgery.