Inlay "butterfly" cartilage tympanoplasty.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to analyze the outcome of inlay "butterfly" cartilage tympanoplasty.

METHODS

The files of 42 patients (24 were male, 18 were female) who underwent primary or revision inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty in 2005 to 2011 at a tertiary medical center were reviewed. Patients were regularly observed by otoscopy and audiometry.

RESULTS

The mean patient age was 27 years (range, 14-75 years), and the mean duration of follow-up was 24 months (range, 3-36 months). The postoperative period was uneventful. The technical (anatomical) success rate was 92% at 1 year. There was a significant decrease in the mean air-bone gap in 32 patients (preoperatively, 49.6 dB; postoperatively, 26.2 dB; P = .006). Results were suboptimal in 3 patients with persistent small perforations of the operated ear.

CONCLUSION

Inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty appears to be effective in terms of defect closure and improved hearing, comparable with temporalis fascia graft tympanoplasty. Follow-up is necessary for at least 1 year when some perforation may reappear.