Hyaluronic Acid Gel as Middle Ear and External Auditory Canal Packing Material in Tympanoplasty.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to evaluate the effect of hyaluronic acid gel (HAG) on tympanic membrane (TM) graft success rate and audiometric outcomes in patients with large TM perforations during tympanoplasty.

STUDY

DESIGN

A single-blinded randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

Tertiary hospital.

METHODS

In the study, we performed tympanoplasty via postauricular approach on 488 ears and compared 2 groups: the control group (n = 247) with absorbable gelatin sponge packing and the HAG group (n = 241) with HAG packing in both the middle ear and medial 2/3 of the external auditory canal. We compared the graft success rates and postoperative audiometric outcomes between the 2 groups.

RESULTS

In a study of 488 ears (HAG group = 241, control group = 247), the HAG group had a higher graft success rate of 96.7% (233/241 ears) compared to the control group's 91.5% (226/247 ears; P = .015). No significant difference was observed between HAG and control in postoperative ABG closure within 20 dB (HAG: 66.8% or 161 ears; control: 59.1% or 146 ears; P = .078). There were no significant differences in improvements, compared to their preoperative condition, in mean bone conduction (HAG: -0.1 ± 6.5; control: 1.3 ± 7.6), air conduction (HAG: 8.7 ± 12.1; control: 9.7 ± 13.1), air-bone gap (HAG: 8.8 ± 10.6; control: 8.4 ± 12.0), and speech reception threshold (HAG: 9.4 ± 11.8; control: 9.2 ± 13.5) between the control and HAG groups (two one-sided T test, P < .001).

CONCLUSION

In tympanoplasty, HAG packing in the middle ear and external auditory canal yields higher graft success rates than absorbable gelatin sponge, while audiometric outcomes are similar for both the HAG and absorbable gelatin sponge packing cohorts.