Learning Objectives: To evaluate the success rate and result of tragal composite cartilage tympanoplasty.
Objective: This study intends to present the success of the membrane closure and audiological earnings of tympanoplasty operations using composite tragal cartilage, in our clinic.
Materials and Methods: One hundred and seventy one patients with diagnosis of chronic otitis media without cholesteatoma (classified in accordance with types of perforation) who treated with tympanoplasty using tragal cartilage graft between the years 2006–2014 was included to the study.
Results: The study included 171 patients, 73 were men and 98 were women. The range of the age was 13–71. Mean age was 31,7 ± 12,5. Follow-up period ranged from 99 months to 8 months, and the average was 34 months. There was central, attic, marginal and total perforations in 147 (85,9%), 13 (7,3%), 9 (5,3%) and 2 (1,2%) patients, respectively. Preoperative retraction was found in 12 (7%) of patients. In preoperative examination tympanosclerosis was observed in 26 (11,1%) patients. Patients' preoperative air-bone gap values were between 6–80 dB and, mean was 34 ± 13 dB. In 26 patients tympanosclerosis (11.1%) was observed in accordance with the preoperative examination. The Standard surgical technique sapplied in this study and in the postoperative examination complete and incomplete closure was seen in 145 (84,8%) and 26 (15,2%) patients, respectively. In the postoperative audiological evaluation, statistically significant increase was seen in air-bone gap values at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz (p < 0.01).
Conclusions: The success of membrane closure at timpanoplasty operations using cartilage graftmaterial is superior to other grafts which are physically thinner and more flexible compared to cartilage. In terms of hearing values, the results are similar with the operations carried out with other graft materials.
