Cartilage Tympanoplasty: Is it more effective than temporalis fascia grafting for tympanoplasty?

Chronic suppurative otitis media is a disease which is a major cause of morbidity in our country. A large proportion of these patients have safe (mucosal) chronic suppurative otitis media. It leads to otorrhoea and deafness which hampers productivity of many individu-als. Otolaryngologist play an important role in its correction and amelioration by con-servative or operative procedures. One such procedure is tympanoplasty. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To evaluate improvement in hearing following tympanoplasty using temporalis fascia graft and cartilage island graft at 8 weeks after surgery. 2. Graft status after tympanoplasty using temporalis fascia graft and cartilage island graft. 3. Assess other complications after surgery in both groups. This study was conducted in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Sur-gery, ST. STEPHEN’S HOSPITAL, DELHI between November 2010 to November 2012. INCLUSION CRITERIA 1. Includes patient in the age group of 20-40 years, having good general physical condition. 2. No evidence of active infection in nose, throat or paranasal sinuses, central perforation of pars tensa of the tympanic membrane with dry ear for a minimum period of 3 weeks be-fore the day of operation. 3. Patients having good eustachian tube function with good cochlear reserve. Exclusion criteria: 1. Patients having blocked eustachian tube, with polyp, granulations or cholesteatoma 2. Failed myringoplasty in the same ear 3. Otogenic intra cranial complications in the past 4. Evidence of otitis externa or otomycosis 5. Per operative ossicular discontinuity, fixed foot plate 6. Patients with evidence of focal sepsis