We performed surgery of the middle ear in 157 patients (171 ears) between April 1997 and March 2001. In this study, the clinical features and outcomes of middle ear surgery performed in 11 patients (13 ears) 70 or more years of age were analyzed. The diagnoses in these 11 cases included chronic otitis media (6 ears), otitis media cholesteatoma (6 ears), and otosclerosis (1 ear). The types of surgery were myringoplasty (2 ears); tympanoplasty type I (3 ears), type IIIc (6 ears) and type IVc (1 ear); tympanoplasty without ossiculoplasty (1 ear); and stapes surgery (1 ear). Surgery was successful in improving the hearing in 4 ears. Prevention of discharge was the primary purpose of surgery in 10 ears, and discharge was controlled in 9 ears. There were no complications or adverse events associated with the surgery. Surgery can be selected to improve the QOL of patients even if marked improvement in hearing is not expected.
