Results of type 1 tympanoplasty in children and parental perceptions of outcome of surgery

Abstract

The goals of tympanoplasty in children include improvement in hearing, prevention of ear infections, and elimination of the need for water precautions. However, tympanoplasty in children is a controversial subject. In the present study the outcome of tympanoplasty in children is examined with regard to its success in achieving these goals and to the level of parental satisfaction with its outcome. Fifty-four children undergoing 62 tympanoplasties at our institution were included in the study. The surgical success rate was 72.5 per cent. Fifty per cent of parents reported that their child's hearing had improved (p = 0.181 for association with surgical success), 78 per cent reported a decrease in ear infections (p = 0.023), 45 per cent reported their child to be participating in activities previously refrained from (p = 0.003), and 79 per cent of parents were satisfied with the overall surgical outcome (p<0.001). Our findings show that successful tympanoplasty my confer benefits on children and may help guide parents' expectations of the surgery.

The effect of age on pediatric tympanoplasty outcomes: A comparison of preschool and older children

“…The two residual perforations >50% had been <50% at the initial surgery. Seventeen children (6.0%) underwent a tympanostomy tube insertion posttympanoplasty and 17 children (6.4%) developed a tympanic membrane cholesteatoma pearl (12) or middle ear cholesteatoma (5). Fifty-six children underwent revision surgery for tympanic membrane perforation (42) or cholesteatoma (14).…”

“…Sheahan et al conducted a phone survey with parents of children who had previously undergone a tympanoplasty to evaluate parental satisfaction 8-60 months after surgery [5]. Seventy-nine percent of parents were satisfied with the outcome.…”

“…In a survey by Lancaster et al 70% of otolaryngologists reported a set age below which they would not perform a tympanoplasty, the most common age reported being 10 years old [4]. However, others have suggested adverse sequelae from persistent tympanic membrane perforations based on quality of life measures [5] and Friedman et al [6] and Knapik et al [7] have demonstrated excellent tympanic membrane closure rate in selected children under 7 years of age.…”

Inlay Butterfly Cartilage Tympanoplasty in Children

“…Their results depend on surgical indications, technical variants, patient follow-up, and criteria used to define success (1). Concerning the most classic technique, underlay fascia temporalis tympanoplasty (UFTT), the reported rates of anatomic success in children vary from 66 to 93.5% (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). Several new techniques have been proposed to simplify the surgical procedure.…”

Anatomic and Functional Results of Cartilage Type 1 Tympanoplasty in Children and the Evaluation of the Success of Surgery with Parental Perceptions

“…In a similar study conducted by Sheahan et al (26), they subjectively stated that the most common benefit (78%) of the surgery was the decrease in ear infections. The rate of subjective improvement in hearing was 68% in our study, while it was 50% in the study of Sheahan et al (26) Of the pediatric patients who were operated on successfully, only 8 patients (33%) attended new activities, but 16 (67%) patients still avoided these activities. Similarly, Sheahan (26) also reported that 45% of patients having successful surgery results participated in new activities.…”