Success of Cartilage Grafting in Revision Tympanoplasty Without Mastoidectomy

OBJECTIVE: Candidates for revision tympanoplasty have experienced at least one failed attempt at repair of the tympanic membrane and are, therefore, at higher risk for subsequent repair failure. The adjunctive use of mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty in those patients with noncholesteatomatous chronic otitis media is often used to decrease the risk for subsequent failure. However, at this institution, where we use cartilage tympanoplasty, mastoidectomy is rarely performed in the absence of cholesteatoma. Our objective was to assess outcomes in patients undergoing revision tympanoplasty without mastoidectomy using cartilage grafting. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective case review. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: A total of 95 patients (42 female, 53 male; 5-81 yr of age) with a recurrent perforation who were treated surgically with cartilage tympanoplasty without mastoidectomy were included in the chart review. Patients must have undergone at least one previous tympanoplasty without mastoidectomy and had to have complete audiologic and chart follow up. INTERVENTIONS: An underlay tympanoplasty technique using either a tragal cartilage-perichondrium island graft or palisaded concha cymba cartilage was used. Ossiculoplasty was performed as needed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Main outcome measures were incidence of reperforation of the grafted tympanic membrane, hearing result, and prevalence of other complications. RESULTS: Successful closure without reperforation was obtained in 90 of 95 patients (94.7%). Average postoperative pure-tone average air-bone gap was 12.2 +/-7.3 dB compared with 24.6+/-13.8 dB preoperatively (p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Revision tympanoplasty with cartilage provided equivalent results to tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy. Thus, mastoidectomy may not be necessary in revision tympanoplasty in the absence of cholesteatoma if the repair is made with cartilage.