[The effect of treatment of temporalis muscle fascia grafts with formaldehyde on the success rates of tympanoplasty].

OBJECTIVES This study aims to investigate the effect of formaldehyde treatment of temporalis muscle fascia grafts used during tympanoplasty on the postoperative success rates. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty-four patients who underwent tympanoplasty between January 2006 and January 2007 in the Department of Otolaryngology, Medicine Faculty of Uludağ University and who were under regular follow-up were included in this prospectively planned study and divided into two groups: the study group (n=24) and the control group (n=30). Temporal muscle fascia grafts were used in all patients. The grafts were treated with formaldehyde in the study group. All the controls of the patients were performed by otomicroscopy. Audiometric tests were performed at the 6th month controls. RESULTS It was found out that perforation was permanently repaired in 79.2% of the study group and in 73.3% of the control group (p>0.05). We obtained an evident improvement in the average airway bone gap in both groups. We could not detect any statistical significance in the comparison of the operation duration between the groups although the operation duration in the study group was shorter (the study group: 735 seconds, the control group: 775 seconds). CONCLUSION The formaldehyde treatment of the temporalis muscle fascial graft used in tympanoplasty was not superior in closing perforation and operation length compared to its direct dry use. However, we concluded that the graft could be more easily manipulated during the operation.