2018 Volume 39 Issue 3 Pages 339-344
We investigated the clinical data of 37 children (43 ears) who underwent tympanoplasty for tympanic membrane perforation. The most common cause of perforation was ventilation tube extrusion without spontaneous closure, accounting for 60%. In patients with a history of ventilation tube insertion, 77% had calcification of the tympanic membrane. The rate was consistent with that in previous reports.
We then examined the closure rate of perforation in patients who were followed-up for at least one year after surgery. The closure rate in children was 72% one year after surgery, which was lower than that in adults. We next analyzed the following factors that may affect the closure rate: sex, age at surgery, cause of perforation, size of perforation, site of perforation, calcification of the tympanic membrane, development of mastoid air-cells, bilateral or unilateral, and surgical technique (inlay or underlay, microscopic or endoscopic). Although there was no significant factor, poor development of mastoid air-cells was slightly associated with a high rate of failure.
