Clinical results and complications of tympanostomy

Tympanostomy tube treatment was used in 181 patients on 323 ears and a followup study was made as an average three years and two months later. Sixty-five percent of the ears had healed completely and in these the average tube treatment time had been 11.3 months. In 22% the tubes were still in position, the average time for treatment being 24.2 months. Five percent showed purulent discharge and recurrence of the glue ear was noted in 3%. A dry perforation developed in five patients. Cholesteatoma was seen in four ears but in only one of these it may have been related to the location of the tube at the posterior drum margin.