Outcomes of ossicular disruption in traumatic facial paralysis: a case series

As tympanotomy using the transcanal approach was a routine surgical technique for traumatic ossicular disruption, the efficacy of the posterior tympanum approach was rarely explored.

This study aimed to investigate whether the hearing outcomes improved after simultaneous ossiculoplasty and facial nerve decompression using the posterior tympanum approach compared with the transcanal approach.

The data of 11 patients who underwent ossiculoplasty and facial nerve decompression using the posterior tympanum approach and 21 patients who underwent ossiculoplasty via transcannal approach were analyzed.

The average air-bone gap (ABG) of patients undergoing posterior tympanotomy showed a statistically significant improvement. Postoperative ABG within 20 dB was observed in 81.8% of patients in the posterior tympanum group and 76.2% of patients in the transcanal group. However, the ABG closure in the two groups was not statistically different.

Simultaneous ossiculoplasty using the posterior tympanum approach was practical, and the hearing outcomes were promising for the patients with traumatic facial nerve paralysis and ossicular disruption.