Tympanometric patterns in patients undergoing cartilage tympanoplasty of 0.6 mm thickness

Abstract

Background: Tympanoplasty has been reported as early as in 1640 by Marcus Banzer, since then many different techniques have been developed for this procedure. The aim of this study is to analyze the tympanometric findings in those patients who underwent cartilage tympanoplasties of 0.6 mm thickness and in order to check different tympanometric patterns obtained in these patients. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 60 patients diagnosed clinically with chronic suppurative otitis media in outpatient clinic between 2010 and 2013, in which a cartilage tympanoplasty of 0.6 mm thickness was planned. These patients were evaluated clinically and by pure tone audiograms and tympanograms for cartilage uptake and any late complications. Results: A total of 26 patients were included in our study. The male to female ratio was 3:1 and mean age was 36.1 years. The mean external canal volume of these patients was 0.928, and all of them had a closed air-bone gap. Ten patients had Type As tympanogram which represented 41.6%, 8 of these patients were females. The mean external canal volume of the patients with Type As tympanogram was 1.61. Only one patient had Type A tympanogram with external canal volume of 1.9 and a closed air-bone gap, he was a case of left cartilage tympanoplasty. Type B tympanogram was also found in only one patient who had left cartilage tympanoplasty, with external canal volume of 1.3 and a closed air-bone gap. No patients had Type C or Type Ac. Conclusion: Use of cartilage of 0.6 mm thickness in tympanoplasty for tympanic membrane perforation repair results in excellent outcomes and most common pattern of tympanogram is non-A, B, C postoperatively.