ABSTRACT
Introduction: Type I tympanoplasty is a surgical procedure with a high anatomical success rate for the treatment of chronic otitis media. This study aims to identify the factors that may influence the hearing success rate of type I tympanoplasty.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 105 patients who underwent type I tympanoplasty between January 2004 and December 2022 were retrospectively chart- reviewed. A through examination of the patients´ ossicular chain during the surgical procedure revealed it to be intact and fully functional. Patients with any other macroscopic otologic pathology, such as cholesteatoma, granulation in the middle ear, and osteitis in mastoid cells, were excluded from the study. The success criteria were defined as an improvement in hearing of at least 10 dB and an air-bone gap (ABG) of less than 20 dB, as determined through a follow-up period of six months.
Results: The study included 27 males and 78 females, with a mean age of 34,2 ± 12,8 years. At the six-month follow-up, 63,2% of cases demonstrated successful hearing outcomes. It has been observed that the closure of ABG and hearing improvement can be improved if the perforation surface is less than 50%, if it is posterior or subtotal, if cartilage is used as the graft material, and if the ear is kept dry during the operation. A statistical correlation was identified for preoperative ABG under 30 dB and for successful grafts six months after surgery (p=0,001 for both factors).
Conclusion: Despite the high success rate and routine nature of the procedure, the impact of many influencing factors on the hearing outcome remains a topic of debate.
Keywords: Tympanoplasty, Outcome, Prognosis, Adult.
