Silastic and gelatin film sheeting in tympanoplasty

In 78 patients, representing 10% of the most severe case of chronic otitis media and in whom the mucosa from the promontory had been removed or severely damaged, the promontory was covered in one-stage mastoidectomy-tympanoplasty with a large piece of thin silastic or of Gelfilm. The results in the silastic group, comprising 50 patients, and in the Gelfilm group, comprising 28 patients, were compared on the basis of various criteria. The results proved better in the Gelfilm group. In particular, the percentage of recurrent perforations was considerably lower than in the silastic group. In one-stage operations, which we prefer, it is therefore recommended to use Gelfilm rather that silastic.