Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
Step-by-Step Stapedotomy through Transcanal Exclusive Endoscopic Approach
Published on: March 5, 2022
Predictive value of middle ear aeration before second-stage operation in staged tympanoplasty with soft-wall
Yuji Kanazawa1, Yasushi Naito, Risa Tona
1Department of Otolaryngology, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital , Kobe City.
Conclusion:
The extent of middle ear aeration before second-stage canal wall-down (CWD) tympanoplasty was correlated with postoperative middle ear stability.
Objective:
To evaluate middle ear aeration before second-stage CWD tympanoplasty as a predictor of postoperative re-aeration potential and external auditory canal (EAC) stability in staged CWD tympanoplasty with soft-wall reconstruction (SWR).
Methods:
Middle ear aeration was evaluated before and at 1 year after the second-stage operation in patients who underwent staged CWD tympanoplasty with SWR for middle ear cholesteatoma. Based on the computed tomography (CT) findings, middle ear aeration was graded as A when the mastoid and tympanic cavities were aerated, B when only the tympanic cavity was aerated, and C in cases with no aeration in the tympanic cavity. We also examined postoperative EAC stability.
Results:
Forty-one ears were included. In all, 17 of 19 ears (89.5%) with grade A aeration preoperatively maintained grade A aeration postoperatively, while 5 of 18 ears (27.8%) with grade B aeration had grade A aeration, and no ear with grade C aeration had recovered grade A aeration. All ears with grade A aeration preoperatively maintained smooth EACs. EAC retraction requiring additional treatment occurred in five ears with grade B aeration and all ears with grade C aeration.
