Endoscopic annular chondroperichondrial tympanoplasty, technical description.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Surgical Innovation
• Audiology

Background:

• Tympanoplasty is a common otological surgery to treat middle ear infections and restore function.
• Microscopic surgery has limitations, leading to the rise of transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES).
• The ideal graft material and technique for tympanoplasty remain an ongoing area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel graft technique using a modified cartilage-perichondrium graft from tragal cartilage.
• To present an optimal solution for tympanoplasty grafting techniques.
• To evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic annular chondroperichondrial tympanoplasty.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 40 patients undergoing endoscopic annular chondroperichondrial tympanoplasty.
• Pre- and post-operative clinical otological examinations and pure tone audiometry were performed.
• Hearing results were assessed using the mean air-bone gap (ABG) at four standard frequencies.

Main Results:

• No complications were reported in the study cohort.
• Graft integrity was maintained in 38 out of 40 patients at 6 months, yielding a 95% success rate.
• Significant improvement in hearing was observed, with a mean post-operative ABG of 5.7 compared to a pre-operative ABG of 22.1.

Conclusions:

• Endoscopic techniques are increasingly vital in tympanoplasty, paralleling advancements in otological surgery.
• The described endoscopic annular chondroperichondrial tympanoplasty technique represents a significant step forward.
• This novel technique is believed to be an important contribution to the search for the ideal tympanoplasty grafting method.