[The state of the regenerative activity of the tympanic membrane tissues and the results of myringoplasty at different time points of remission of experimental otitis media].

The objective of the present study was to estimate the regenerative potential of the tympanic membrane tissues in the early period of remission after experimental otitis media and evaluate the results of myringoplasty. The experiments were carried out using 23 outbred dogs exhibiting no signs of "spontaneous otitis". Experimental otitis media was induced in 20 animals using a Staphylococcus aureus strain as the pathogenic organism. The treatment of the experimental animals was started two weeks after the development of otitis and continued up to obtaining the "dry ear" condition. The animals were allocated to 4 groups depending on the time of myringoplasty. In the animals of group 1 myringoplasty was performed one week after remission, those of groups 2, 3, and 4 underwent myringoplasty two, three, and four weeks after the onset of remission respectively. The results of the study indicate that the first two weeks after the inflammatory process in the middle ear subsided are the optimal time for myringoplasty because the proliferative activity during this period amounts to its maximum which promotes the survival of the transplant and the closure of tympanic defects.