The prognostic value of mucociliary clearance in predicting success in tympanoplasty

Mucociliary and equipressive eustachian tube functions have been studied, using saccharin solution (five per cent sodium saccharinate) and tubal manometry respectively, in 58 ears with chronic disease undergoing tympanoplasty. The position of the perforation site determines the results as the poorest results are obtained from the posterior ones, positive cases (47 per cent) and mean transport time (37.7 minutes), compared to the greater percentage of positive cases (86 per cent) and mean transport time (22.2 minutes) for anterior perforations. When both parameters are analysed together there is a direct relationship between normal equipressive function and normal mucociliary transport time and between negative transport time and tubal blocking. Significant difference in transport times have been found for the anterior and posterior perforations being shorter for the anterior ones. When surgical outcome is correlated with mucociliary transport, the normal transport time percentage is seen to be considerably higher in the success group (50 per cent) than in the failure group (22 per cent).