Preparation and placement of cartilage island graft in tympanoplasty.

INTRODUCTION Cartilage graft tympanoplasty has a better success rate in the treatment of chronic otitis media if regularly prepared and placed. OBJECTIVE To prepare cartilage island material and evaluate its effect on the success rate of tympanoplasty. METHODS The medical records of 87 patients (48 males and 39 females; mean age, 27.3±11.2 years; range, 14-43 years) with chronic otitis media without cholesteatoma who underwent intact canal-wall-up tympanoplasty and revision surgery between December of 2007 and October of 2011 were retrospectively evaluated. Surgery was performed under general anesthesia via a retroauricular approach. RESULTS The overall success rate of this technique was 93% in terms of perforation closure. No graft lateralization or displacement into the middle ear occurred. The overall average preoperative air bone gap was 37.27±12.35 dB, and the postoperative air bone gap was 27.58±9.84 dB. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 15.3 months (range: 7-21 months). CONCLUSION If cartilage graft is properly prepared and placed, cartilage graft tympanoplasty appears to provide better success rates and hearing results.