Surgery, primarily tympanoplasty, was performed on 1051 ears from April 1977 to March 1989. Two-thirds of the patients were aged 30 to 60. There was no sex difference in any age group. Chronic otitis media was observed in 45.2% and cholesteatomatous otitis media in 33.7%. Including the ears that needed reoperation or secondary operation, 931 ears (88.6%) were operated on for problems related to chronic otitis media; tympanoplasty was performed in 885 of them. In the ears with chronic otitis media, operation was type I in 60.8% and modified type III in 16.5%. In ears with cholesteatomatous otitis media, operation was type Tin 30.7% and modified type III in 30.4%.
Hearing was good in 86.9% after type I operation, in 77.2% after modified type III operation, and in 45.3% after modified type IV operation. No difference was observed in the columellae used other than the cartilage and auditory ossicles. Recurrence was observed frequently in the ears followed for a long time after posterior walll preserving operations for cholesteatomatous otitis media.