Abstract
Objective: Describe a technique of anterior cartilage island tympanoplasty and report outcome and hearing results using this technique in type I tympanoplasty.
Method: Retrospective chart review at a tertiary referral center. One hundred thirty-one patients who underwent type I tympanoplasty were evaluated. A semilunar conchal cartilage island was placed under the anterior annulus, and an underlay temporalis fascia graft was placed over the cartilage. Hearing results were assessed by comparing the preoperative and postoperative air-bone gaps.
Results: The fascia was either placed medial to the handle of the malleus (group I) or lateral to the handle after separating it from the drum (group II). Graft take was successful in 95.4% of cases with no statistical difference between both groups (95.8% in group I and 94.4% in group II). Air-bone gap improved significantly in both groups compared to the preoperative one (P < .001). The postop air-bone gap was 5.2 dB and 7.1 dB for groups I and II, respectively. Ninety percent of cases had an air-bone gap of 10 dB or less.
Conclusion: Anterior cartilage island tympanoplasty is an effective technique that yielded good anatomic and functional results.
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