Tympanoplasty in adults: a five-year survey

In order to identify factors that could influence the success of tympanoplasties in adults, a retrospective study of 291 tympanoplasties performed on patients aged 15 years and older during the years 1984-1989 was carried out. Surgical success was defined as an intact membrane after two years follow-up and hearing improvement of at least 15 decibels. The success rate of the tympanoplasties was 90%. A functioning eustachian tube was found to be important for graft take. No difference was found in the rate of graft take regardless of whether fascia of the temporal muscle or tragal perichondrium was used or if fibrin glue was used. An audiological improvement was seen in 77% of the patients, and no significant difference regarding hearing gain was found between the different prostheses. It is concluded that tympanoplasty in adults is a simple operation with a high probability of success which can improve the quality of life of those operated upon.