title: Preparation and placement of cartilage island graft in tympanoplasty.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cartilage graft tympanoplasty has a better success rate in the treatment of chronic otitis media if regularly prepared and placed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To prepare cartilage island material and evaluate its effect on the success rate of tympanoplasty.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of 87 patients (48 males and 39 females; mean age, 27.3±11.2 years; range, 14-43 years) with chronic otitis media without cholesteatoma who underwent intact canal-wall-up tympanoplasty and revision surgery between December of 2007 and October of 2011 were retrospectively evaluated. Surgery was performed under general anesthesia via a retroauricular approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall success rate of this technique was 93% in terms of perforation closure. No graft lateralization or displacement into the middle ear occurred. The overall average preoperative air bone gap was 37.27±12.35 dB, and the postoperative air bone gap was 27.58±9.84 dB. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 15.3 months (range: 7-21 months).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If cartilage graft is properly prepared and placed, cartilage graft tympanoplasty appears to provide better success rates and hearing results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Abant İzzet Baysal University Medical Faculty, Bolu, Turkey. Electronic address: vyurttas@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Veysel
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yurttas
authors.affiliation: Otorhinolaryngology Clinic, Kapadokya Private Hospital, Nevşehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yakut
authors.affiliation: Otorhinolaryngology Clinic, Ankara Atatürk Teaching and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kutluhan
authors.affiliation: Otorhinolaryngology Clinic, Ankara Atatürk Teaching and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kazım
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bozdemir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002356:Cartilage / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018058:Tympanic Membrane Perforation / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D014433:Tympanoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cartilagem auricular; Ear cartilage; Otorhinolaryngologic surgical procedures; Perfuração da membrana timpânica; Procedimentos cirúrgicos otorrinolaringológicos; Tympanic membrane perforation