title: Comparison of Short- and Long-term Hearing Outcomes of Successful Inlay Cartilage Tympanoplasty Between Small and Large Eardrum Perforations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the short- and long-term hearing outcomes after successful inlay cartilage tympanoplasty between patients with small (≤25%) and large (≥50%) eardrums perforations.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective case series study conducted in a tertiary referral center. Twenty-five patients who underwent 27 procedures were enrolled. Their mean age was 60.26 years (range, 42 to 76 years). The mean follow-up time was 18.86 months (range, 12.30 to 35.83 months). The preoperative, initial postoperative, and long-term hearing results in patients with total repair of the eardrum were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the small size group, the average (±standard deviation) air-bone gap (ABG) closure was 1.08±7.53 dB in the short-term and 2.33±11.56 dB in the long-term hearing examinations. There was no difference between short- and long-term ABG closure (P=0.689). In the large size group, the average ABG closure was 9.77±9.40 dB in the short-term and 16.25±6.01 dB in the long-term hearing examinations. There was a significant difference between short- and long-term ABG closure (P=0.029).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with large perforations have continuous hearing improvement and ABG closure for more than one year. In contrast, the short- and long-term postoperative ABGs are almost the same in patients with small perforations. More long-term postoperative follow-up of hearing results is necessary for large perforations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Wen
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. ; Department of Otolaryngology, Sijhih Cathay General Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan. ; Fu-Jen Catholic University School of Medicine, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Hung
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Che
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ta-Jen
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chien-Chia
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
keywords: Air-Bone Gap; Chronic Otitis Media; Hearing; Inlay Butterfly Cartilage; Tympanoplasty