Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2026
Endaural Endoscopic Atticoantrotomy (Retrograde Mastoidectomy) using a Constant Suction Bone-drilling Technique
Published on: May 23, 2021
Major ear surgery in a paediatric day care unit
R G Rowlands1, R Harris, J Hern
1Department of Otolaryngology, Mayday University Hospital, London, UK.
Insights
Major ear surgery in children can be safely performed as day cases, reducing hospital stays. This approach is feasible for procedures like myringoplasty and tympanotomy, showing positive outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Ambulatory Surgery
Background:
- Traditionally, major ear surgery in children required inpatient care.
- Adult day-case surgery data suggests potential for pediatric application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and feasibility of performing major ear surgery in children as day cases.
- To assess the rate of unplanned admissions for pediatric day-case ear surgery.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of six years of data from a dedicated children's day unit.
- Focus on unplanned admission rates as the primary outcome measure.
- Inclusion of procedures such as myringoplasty, ossiculoplasty, pinnaplasty, meatoplasty, and tympanotomy with cholesteatoma excision.
Main Results:
- An unplanned admission rate of 6.7% was observed for major ear surgery, excluding mastoid procedures.
- Specific procedures including myringoplasty, ossiculoplasty, and tympanotomy were found suitable for day surgery.
Conclusions:
- Major ear surgery in children can be safely and effectively managed on a day-case basis.
- Day surgery models are feasible for various pediatric ear procedures, improving resource utilization.
Abstract:
Abstract Traditionally major ear surgery in children has been regarded as an in-patient procedure. Evidence from the USA for adults, however, concludes that it is both safe and effective to perform many major ear procedures as day cases. We have been carrying out major ear operations on children as day cases routinely for six years in a dedicated children's day unit and examined our data to find out whether it was both safe and feasible to perform major ear surgery in children on a day-case basis. As our main outcome measure we used the rate of unplanned admissions. We found that the unplanned admission rate for surgery, excluding mastoid surgery, was 6.7 per cent and that procedures such as myringoplasty, ossiculoplasty, bilateral pinnaplasty, meatoplasty and tympanotomy with excision of cholesteatoma, were eminently suitable for day surgery.
