[Tympanoplasty in clinical practice: use and results]

The halt in the use of allografts has resulted in the use in clinical practice in humans of a product that has been known for at least thirty years: collagen. Interesting experimental animal studies have been performed with the type I and type III collagen currently used: the Tympanoplast. This collagen, already used in numerous medical fields (digestive, renal and neuro-surgery) is of bovine origin. It is purified, and comes in the form of a reticulated plate. It is known for its qualities of reepithelialisation. We have been using it for more than a year for the reconstruction of the tympanic membrane. We use Tympanoplast 100 microns thick. All the cases of myringoplasties have been performed on dry ears, and essentially on partial perforations in reinforcement surgery. The results are most encouraging and depend on the surgical technique employed. On the other hand, the grafts performed on total perforations failed to produce the expected results. The paper presents work of the School, with the anatomical results and comments on the precautions to be taken when using Tympanoplast.