Hyaluronic acid ester in myringoplasty

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Surgical Innovation
• Biomaterials in Medicine

Background:

• Persistent tympanic membrane perforations can significantly impact hearing and quality of life.
• Surgical closure of tympanic membrane perforations is a common otologic procedure.
• Previous techniques for tympanic membrane repair may be unsuitable for certain patient populations or perforation types.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a novel technique using Epifilm for the closure of persistent tympanic membrane perforations.
• To assess the feasibility of this technique in patients where traditional methods are considered impractical.
• To determine the outcomes of tympanic membrane perforation repair using hyaluronic acid ester films.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 20 adult patients (aged 50 and over) with persistent, symptomatic tympanic membrane perforations.
• Pre-operative assessment included audiometry and tympanic membrane evaluation to determine perforation characteristics.
• Under general anesthesia, perforation edges were freshened, and Epifilm was applied and tucked through the perforation.

Main Results:

• Five patients completed the six-week post-operative assessment.
• The Epifilm dissolved in all cases, and no closure of the tympanic membrane perforations was observed.
• No adverse effects were reported during the study period.

Conclusions:

• The use of hyaluronic acid ester films (Epifilm) for the repair of tympanic membrane perforations is not recommended.
• This novel technique failed to achieve its primary objective of perforation closure.
• Further research into alternative biomaterials or techniques for tympanic membrane repair may be warranted.