A clinical study of audiological outcome following type I tympanoplasty using temporalis fascia as graft

Introduction: Tympanic membrane perforations caused by chronic suppurative otitis media are very frequent. Tympanoplasty is a general surgical practice for the repair of TM perforation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hearing outcomes following type I tympanoplasty using temporalis fascia as a graft. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of ENT. A total of n=65 patients n=35 male and n=30 female were selected. All the cases underwent tympanoplasty through post aural technique using harvested temporalis fascia as the autograft material by underlay approach. The external auditory meatus was then packed with soframycin pack. Sutures and soframycin pack was taken out on the 7 day of operation. Steroid nasal spray for 2 months along with antibiotics and decongestants which were advise for 2 weeks. The patients were followed at the one-month interval for 3 months than at 6 months. Results: The prevailing perforations were (less than 50% of the TM) found in n=29 (44.61%) of the patients followed by medium size perforations n=21 (32.30%) and large perforations were found in n=15 (23.07%). The overall success rate of the graft was n=61 (93.84%) patients out of n=65 patients and the graft uptake was found in n=63(96.92%) of the patients. The overall improvement of hearing recorded the mean preoperative air-bone conduction in male prior to the operation was 23.5±3.2 dB and mean postoperative AB gap after 3 months was 8.61±1.7 dB and the gain was 14.89±1.50 similarly in females the mean preoperative AB conduction was 22.1±2.8 dB and mean postoperative AB conduction was 6.72±1.39 the gain was 10.60±1.41. Conclusion: Type I tympanoplasty with temporalis fascia is reasonably successful for the treatment of central perforations with dry ears. The audiological outcomes in the form of hearing improvements were noticed in almost all of the patients.