Patient Factors Predicting Success in Lateral Graft Tympanoplasty.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Surgical Outcomes
• Medical Comorbidities

Background:

• Lateral graft tympanoplasty is a common procedure for chronic otitis media.
• Understanding factors influencing surgical success is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of preoperative medical comorbidities and intraoperative findings on the success of lateral graft tympanoplasty.
• To identify predictors of perforation closure and hearing improvement.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 99 patients undergoing lateral graft tympanoplasty.
• Analysis of patient demographics, comorbidities (including smoking), operative findings, and short-term outcomes (perforation closure, complications, air-bone gap).

Main Results:

• Tympanic membrane perforation closure was achieved in 92.9% of cases.
• Diabetes, smoking, and advanced age did not significantly affect perforation closure rates.
• An absent malleus was associated with a significantly higher rate of lateralization (31.3% vs 2.1%, P=0.001).
• Mean air-bone gap improved by 6.82 dB (P<0.01).
• Prior tympanoplasty was linked to smaller air-bone gap improvement (P=0.04).

Conclusions:

• Diabetes, active smoking, and increasing age are not associated with adverse healing outcomes in lateral graft tympanoplasty.
• An absent malleus is a significant risk factor for lateralization following this procedure.
• Lateral graft tympanoplasty demonstrates good success rates for perforation closure and hearing improvement.