TITLE:
Role of Cartilage as a Graft Material for Tympanic Membrane and in Middle Ear Reconstruction
AUTHORS:
Anant Chouhan, Bhuvnesh Kumar Singh, Praveen Chandra Verma
KEYWORDS:
Cartilage Graft, Pure Tone Audiometry, Air Bone Gap
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery,
Vol.4 No.2,
February
28,
2015
ABSTRACT: Objective: The work was planned to evaluate the results of cartilage graft in the surgical treatment of chronic suppurative otitis media. Study Design: A prospective study. Materials and Methods: The present study was a prospective study of tympanoplasties and tympanomastoid surgeries performed on 100 patients. The main outcome measures were both anatomical and functional in form of graft incorporation and postoperative hearing function. Results: Cartilage was used as tympanic membrane and/or ossicle graft in the cases. There were no immediate postoperative or long term complications of surgery except for 10 cases in which there was a failure of graft uptake. There was a 7.6-decibel (dB) improvement in mean air conduction threshold post-operatively. A mean closure of average air bone gap of 8.4 decibels (dB) was noted which was statistically significant. Conclusion: The cartilage graft is a very effective option for the repair of the conducting mechanism of the ear with good take-up rates, less chances of rejection or extrusion and very few significant complications. The thickness of cartilage creates stiffness that is more resistant than the fascia to the anatomic deformities caused by negative middle ear pressure thus improving the long term integrity of the graft.