Results of tympanoplasty in children after 15 to 27 years

Results of tympanoplasty in children with noncholesteatonaatos chronic otit is media are presented in a 16- to 27-year followup. During the 13-year per iod from 1968 to 1980, 116 children (124 ears) were operated on, and they w ere submitted to several follow-ups with audiometry and otomicroscopy. The attendance at the last follow-up was 70%, and the minimum time since surger y for these patients was 15 years. All dry ears were operated on transcanal ly with a fixed ear speculum, without any lateral incision of the ear canal skin. Cumulatively, in total, 14 ears (11%) had reperforation: 7 ears earl y and 7 ears late. At 6 months, there were 6% early reperforations; some we re surgically closed and some reappeared later, even after several years, a s late perforations. At 2 to 15 years of follow-up. there were 4% reperfora tions, and at 16 to 27 years, 6%. Hearing was good and stable. The results were the same in ears operated on at the ages of 2.5 to 7 years and 8 to 14 years; as well as with preoperatively positive and negative Valsalva maneu vers. In total: 14% of ears were revised during the entire observation peri od. It is concluded that transcanal tympanoplasty, even in young children, has good long-term stability and can definitively and permanently solve the problem of noncholesteatomatous chronic otitis in children.