Tympanic membrane grafting with alloderm.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this work is to evaluate the performance of an acellular dermal allograft (AlloDerm; LifeCell Corp., The Woodlands, TX) in tympanic membrane (TM) grafting.

STUDY

DESIGN

A retrospective review of 20 consecutive tympanoplasty surgeries using temporalis fascia and 20 consecutive procedures using AlloDerm.

METHODS

The charts of 20 consecutive adults who underwent tympanoplasty surgery were reviewed to evaluate graft take and hearing results. Similarly, 20 consecutive patients who had TM grafting with AlloDerm were reviewed. Pre- and postoperative air-bone gaps (ABG) at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz were compared.

RESULTS

There were no graft failures in either the temporalis fascia group or the AlloDerm group. No statistically significant difference was noted in hearing results when comparing the residual conductive loss in both postoperative groups.

CONCLUSIONS

AlloDerm is a suitable material for TM grafting. This product is especially valuable in revision surgery in which the availability of appropriate autologous grafting material is limited.