title: Tragal cartilage in tympanic membrane reconstruction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Management of chronic perforation and severe posterior and/or attic Retraction Pocket (RP) or atelectasis of the tympanic membrane continues to be one of the most difficult problems for otologists.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the usefulness of the tympanic membrane reconstruction with tragal cartilage.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 27 patients with chronic perforation or severe RP operated by the same surgeon, using tragal cartilage tympanoplasty. Seven supplementary procedures were required for recurrent cholesteatoma (second-look surgery).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There has been no recurrence of the retraction and the perforation. Nineteen ossicular reconstructions were necessary with acceptable hearing results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tragal cartilage has made a significant improvement in the tympanic membrane reconstruction procedure. A large thin cartilage combined with a titanium prosthesis can provide an excellent anatomical result, perfect stability and good functional outcome. When the eardrum is intact, we still use allografts of costal cartilage for the management of the retraction pocket or titanium prosthesis.
authors.affiliation: ENT Department, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Avenue Hippocrate 10, 1200 Bruxelles.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gérard
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Decat
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gersdorff
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004425:Ear Cartilage / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009998:Ossicular Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014025:Titanium; D018058:Tympanic Membrane Perforation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D014433:Tympanoplasty / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014025:Titanium