title: Inlay "butterfly" cartilage tympanoplasty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to analyze the outcome of inlay "butterfly" cartilage tympanoplasty.
  
  
  METHODS
  The files of 42 patients (24 were male, 18 were female) who underwent primary or revision inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty in 2005 to 2011 at a tertiary medical center were reviewed. Patients were regularly observed by otoscopy and audiometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean patient age was 27 years (range, 14-75 years), and the mean duration of follow-up was 24 months (range, 3-36 months). The postoperative period was uneventful. The technical (anatomical) success rate was 92% at 1 year. There was a significant decrease in the mean air-bone gap in 32 patients (preoperatively, 49.6 dB; postoperatively, 26.2 dB; P = .006). Results were suboptimal in 3 patients with persistent small perforations of the operated ear.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty appears to be effective in terms of defect closure and improved hearing, comparable with temporalis fascia graft tympanoplasty. Follow-up is necessary for at least 1 year when some perforation may reappear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel. royhod2@clalit.org.il
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hod
authors.forename: Inon
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Buda
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hazan
authors.forename: Ben I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Nageris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001299:Audiometry; D004425:Ear Cartilage / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018058:Tympanic Membrane Perforation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014433:Tympanoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult