Cartilage palisade tympanoplasty and diving.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether a patient with a serious defect of the tympanic membrane (TM) will be able to dive after surgery.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

The authors describe three patients who were divers with serious defects of the TM (more than 75% of TM). In all three cases, cartilage palisade tympanoplasty was used to reconstruct the TM.

RESULTS

Six months after surgery, the patients passed clinical examinations, audiograms (hearing restored to normal), tympanometry (increased stiffness of the TM), and pressure tolerance tests in hyperbaric chamber (30-m immersion was simulated for 4 minutes), and they began to dive again. Approximately 2 years after the surgery, all three patients are able to dive without any difficulties.

CONCLUSION

The authors conclude that patients can dive after cartilage palisade tympanoplasty.