title: Hearing results after myringoplasty.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Myringoplasty is one of the various surgical techniques for the management of chronic supurative otitis media of tubotympanic type (CSOM-TT). The presence of a perforation of tympanic membrane with intermittent discharge and hearing loss of conductive nature are the indications of myringoplasty. It is a beneficial procedure done for closing tympanic membrane perforation and improving hearing.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess hearing improvement after myringoplasty within ten weeks following surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 50 patients who were suffering from CSOM-TT. Preoperative and postoperative examinations of the patients were conducted clinically as well as audiologically. Pre and postoperative air-bone (A-B) gap were calculated by taking the averages of bone conduction and air conduction at the frequencies of 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz. Myringoplasty was performed with underlay technique under local anaesthesia by either permeatal or endaural approach. Temporal muscle fascia was used as grafting material for reconstruction of the tympanic membrane.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preoperatively, air-bone gap of 30 db or more was observed in 39 (76%) patients whereas post operatively A-B gap of 30 db or more was observed in only one patient. Using hearings gain exceeding 15 dB as the criterion, thirty-nine (78%) patients had their hearing gain exceeding 15 dB. Using postoperative A-B gap within 20 dB as the criterion, 42 (84%) patients had their A-B gap within 20 dB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myringoplasty is a beneficial procedure for hearing improvement. Using the proportion of patients with a postoperative A-B gap of 30 dB as the criterion, in this study, 98% of patients achieved their A-B gap closer within 30 dB. Using hearing gain exceeding 15 dB as the criterion, 78% patient had their hearing gain exceeding 15 dB.
authors.affiliation: Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital, Nepal. sangitadr@yahoo.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Sinha
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001299:Audiometry; D001844:Bone Conduction; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009225:Myringoplasty; D010035:Otitis Media, Suppurative / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult