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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Trans-Tympanic Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Ototoxicity
Published on: March 16, 2018
Spontaneous closure of traumatic tympanic membrane perforation following long-term observation
Tomoyasu Tachibana1, Shin Kariya2, Yorihisa Orita3
1a Department of Otolaryngology , Japanese Red Cross Society Himeji Hospital , Himeji City , Hyogo , Japan.
Background:
Traumatic tympanic membrane perforation (TTMP) is usually managed conservatively because most close spontaneously within a few months. Nevertheless, spontaneous closure of TTMP during long-term observation has not been well described in the literature.
Objectives:
The present study investigated factors associated with spontaneous closure of TTMP, and the characteristics of cases exhibiting spontaneous closure following long-term observation.
Materials And Methods:
The medical records of 40 patients with TTMP who visited the authors' hospital were retrospectively reviewed.
Results:
Spontaneous closure was observed in 27 (67.5%) patients. The healing period was <2 weeks in 6 cases, <4 weeks in 9, <3 months in 5, <6 months in 3, and ≥6 months in 4. All four cases in which spontaneous closure took ≥6 months exhibited a sign of spontaneous closure at 6 months following injury. Perforation in contact with the malleus was associated with a lower frequency of spontaneous closure.
Conclusions And Significance:
In TTMP, surgery should be considered in patients who exhibit perforation in contact with the malleus. However, it has also been suggested that long-term observation may be a viable treatment option when a sign of spontaneous closure is observed within 6 months following injury.
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