Success rates in paediatric tympanoplasty.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if the success of paediatric tympanoplasty is dependent on certain criteria, which are determinable prior to surgery.


METHODS
Retrospective chart review.


METHODS
An academic paediatric otolaryngology department.


METHODS
Seventy-seven patients who had undergone tympanoplasty with or without ossicular reconstruction, but without mastoidectomy, between April 1997 and May 1999.


METHODS
Status of the repaired tympanic membrane at last follow-up visit measured by otoscopic examination and with tympanometry.


RESULTS
Eighty-nine tympanoplasties were performed during this period. The age range was 2.9 to 22 years. The success rate was 75% overall. For patients younger than 11 years (n = 43), the success rate was 82%, and for those 11 to 18 years (n = 44), it was 74%, which was not significantly different. In 18 patients 7.5 years or younger, the success rate was 79%. Perforation location, size, presence of myringosclerosis, status of the other ear or nose, history of the perforation, surgical approach, middle ear findings, canal packing, and gender were not shown to be significantly different between successful and unsuccessful tympanoplasty groups.


CONCLUSIONS
These young patients had a good success rate post-tympanoplasty, which we believe reflects less severe disease. These results mitigate against delaying tympanoplasty in young children.
Carr
M M
MM
Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Children's Hospital of Buffalo, New York, USA.
Poje
C P
CP
Nagy
M L
ML
Pizzuto
M P
MP
Brodsky
L S
LS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019933:Ossicular Replacement; D018579:Patient Selection; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018058:Tympanic Membrane Perforation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D014433:Tympanoplasty