Endaural or postaural incision for myringoplasty: does it make a difference to the patient?

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Surgical Outcomes
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Myringoplasty is a common surgical procedure to repair a perforated tympanic membrane.
• The choice of surgical approach, endaural or postaural, may influence patient experience and scar-related issues.
• Long-term patient perspectives on surgical scars after myringoplasty are not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient-reported scar symptoms and problems following myringoplasty.
• To compare scar-related outcomes between endaural and postaural surgical approaches.
• To identify any statistically significant differences in scar experience based on incision type.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to 91 patients who underwent myringoplasty 18-62 months prior.
• Patients with prior or subsequent ear surgeries were excluded from the analysis.
• Outcomes were compared between patients who received an endaural incision versus a postaural incision.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences in scar-related symptoms or problems were found between the endaural and postaural groups.
• The only significant difference noted was the likelihood of external comments on the scar.
• Long-term sequelae related to the myringoplasty scar appear to be infrequent.

Conclusions:

• Both endaural and postaural approaches for myringoplasty result in minimal long-term scar-related issues for patients.
• Patient satisfaction and symptom experience regarding surgical scars are comparable between the two incision techniques.
• The choice of incision for myringoplasty does not appear to significantly impact long-term scar perception from the patient's viewpoint.