Long-term outcomes after tympanoplasty with and without mastoidectomy for perforated chronic otitis media

The objectives of the retrospective study, performed at a tertiary referral center, were to examine the prognostic factors predicting long-term outcomes of tympanoplasty for perforated chronic otitis media (COM) and to determine whether mastoidectomy can be avoided during tympanoplasty for perforated COM. Between 1987 and 2002, 213 patients with perforated COM underwent tympanoplasty by the same surgeon and were followed for more than 5 years. Postoperative hearing outcomes were considered successful, if the postoperative air-bone gap was within 20 dB. Closure of perforation by a single surgery was considered a successful graft. Long-term outcomes were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Normal ossicular chain was the only factor that showed a significantly favorable relation to long-term hearing outcomes. There were no significant predictors of long-term successful graft outcomes. Mastoidectomy was not a significant factor predicting long-term outcomes. Our long-term outcomes showed that mastoidectomy can be an avoidable surgical procedure in tympanoplasty for perforated COM, even if the ear is infected.