Success rates in paediatric tympanoplasty

Objective: To determine if the success of paediatric tympanoplasty is depen dent on certain criteria, which are determinable prior to surgery. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: An academic paediatric otolaryngology department. Patients: Seventy-seven patients who had undergone tympanoplasty with or wi thout ossicular reconstruction, but without mastoidectomy, between April 19 97 and May 1999. Main Outcome Measures: Status of the repaired tympanic membrane at last fol low-up visit measured by otoscopic examination and with tympanometry. Results: Eighty-nine tympanoplasties were performed during this period. The age range was 2.9 to 22 years. The success rate was 75% overall. For patie nts younger than 11 years (n = 43), the success rate was 82%, and for those 11 to 18 years (n = 44), it was 74%, which was not significantly different . In 18 patients 7.5 years or younger, the success rate was 79%. Perforatio n location, size, presence of myringosclerosis, status of the other ear or nose, history of the perforation, surgical approach, middle ear findings, c anal packing, and gender were not shown to be significantly different betwe en successful and unsuccessful tympanoplasty groups. Conclusion: These young patients had a good success rate post-tympanoplasty , which we believe reflects less severe disease. These results mitigate aga inst delaying tympanoplasty in young children.