Pediatric tympanoplasty: factors affecting success.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The timing of pediatric tympanoplasty is controversial despite many studies reporting on the relationship between patient age and tympanoplasty results. This update reviews the literature to examine the role of age and other factors on the success of tympanoplasty in children.

RECENT FINDINGS: Multiple studies, both recent and past, have largely reported no difference in the success rate of pediatric tympanoplasty as a function of age. In addition, these studies as a whole have offered a conflicting mix of other parameters that may or may not affect the surgical result.

SUMMARY: The rate of success of pediatric tympanoplasty is likely not a matter of age, but a matter of patient selection. Careful attention to factors such as technique, eustachian-tube function, and site and size of the perforation will likely increase the rate of an intact tympanic membrane with improvement in hearing. No one variable determines outcome. Clearly, some factors studied are age-related, but age in itself should not be an indication or contraindication to treatment.