[Overview of functional results of tympanoplasty]

The postoperative functional results of 448 tympanoplasties of Type 1-4, among them the late results, were reviewed via computer for the 1968-1977 decade. The average air-bone-gap decreased from 30.7 to 25.0 dB. There were no significant changes in the bone conduction of single frequencies in the long-term results. The proportion of social hearing increased from 35 per cent (pre-operative) to 52 per cent (post-operative) and to 55 per cent in the long-term results. In 27 patients (6 per cent) residual conditions were seen as in spontaneous tympanoplasty. The results reported in literature are discussed in detail.