The results of surgery on 163 ears from 1978 to 1983 were studied. Of the 127 patients who answered our questionnaire, 20.1% complained of ear discharge and 24.8% of these had hearing deterioration. Of the total of 161 ears, which were examined by otoscopy and pure-tone audiometry, 44.7% underwent surgery for cholesteatoma; 45.4% for chronic suppurative otitis media; 5.9% for tuberculosis of the middle ear. Of those ears, 88 were treated with intact canal wall tympanoplasty, 30 ears with classical tympanoplasty, and 43 ears with reconstructed canal wall tympanoplasty. Perforation of the reconstructed ear drum recurrenced in 15.7% and ear discharge in 18.1% of the total: in 19.8% of the ears treated with intact canal wall tympanoplasty, in 28.9% of those with reconstructed canal wall tympanoplasty, and in 33.3% of those with classical tympanoplasty. Long-term hearing results were satisfactory; only 9.5% of the patients had a deterioration of hearing postoperatively while in 59.5% hearing was improved.