Butterfly myringoplasty for total, subtotal, and annular perforations

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Surgical Innovation
• Auditory Health

Background:

• The inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty technique was initially developed for small, central eardrum perforations.
• This method involves anchoring a cartilage graft onto the bony annulus, making it adaptable for large, marginal perforations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty technique for marginal perforations.
• To evaluate the outcomes of this technique in patients with marginal perforations.
• To compare the results with those obtained in patients with nonmarginal perforations.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective case series reviewed patients who underwent inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty for subtotal and total perforations between May 2011 and May 2013.
• Follow-up included otoscopy and audiometry to assess outcomes.
• Results were compared with a cohort of patients who had butterfly tympanoplasty for nonmarginal perforations.

Main Results:

• Thirty-three patients with subtotal/total perforations were included; none experienced intraoperative or immediate postoperative complications.
• One month post-surgery, a 94% success rate was observed, with significant improvements in speech recognition threshold (SRT) and pure tone audiometry.
• The hearing improvements were comparable to those achieved in patients with nonmarginal perforations.

Conclusions:

• Inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty is a safe and effective surgical option for total or subtotal eardrum perforations.
• The functional outcomes of this technique in marginal perforations are comparable to those in nonmarginal perforations.