These are operations performed ort he treatment of perforation in the eardrum or the disease in the middle ear. Depending on the condition of the disease, the size and duration of surgeries may vary. The type of surgeries can become in the form of eardrum repair (Myringoplasty), repair of ossicles in the middle ear (Tympanoplasty) along with eardrum repair (Tympanoplasty) or removal of advanced inflammation in the ear bone (Tympanomastoidectomy).
Why should an eardrum surgery be performed?
The most important problem in the presence of a perforated eardrum is the presence of recurrent or persistent ear discharge and hearing loss. Therefore, eardrum repair surgery is performed to protect the patient from infections in the form of inflammatory discharge, to prevent the progression of hearing loss and to prevent other complications that may occur due to inflammation. In patients with significant hearing loss, there is a chance to improve hearing by repairing ossicular problems during the same surgery.
Is surgery necessary for every patient with perforated eardrum?
Surgery is not necessary in patients who do not have a significant hearing loss despite having a perforation in the eardrum and who do not have frequent discharge in the ear. The benefits of the surgery to be performed in these patients are to improve the patient’s quality of life by eliminating the need to protect the ear from water during bathing and swimming and prevent hearing loss that may occur over time. In this case, the surgery plan can be made depending on the patient’s preference. However, if the advanced inflammatory formations called cholesteatoma are found in the middle ear, surgery is absolutely necessary to prevent the development of further complications (such as facial paralysis, meningitis, etc.).
What is the best age for eardrum repair?
The ideal time for eardrum repair is after the age of 13-14. However, if there is a development of cholesteatoma, the operation should be performed regardless of the patient’s age.
What kind of surgery technique should be used?
When deciding on the technique of the surgery, the location of the hole on the membrane, the width of the ear canal, whether there is disease in the ear bone, the presence of cholesteatoma, and the surgeon’s preferences are taken into consideration. Under these conditions, with an 3-4 centimeters incision made behind the auricle or with a smaller incision in front of the ear, or by working only inside the ear in cases of very simple perforation, this eardrum surgeries can be performed. The most frequently used tissues in repairing the eardrum are the sheath of the temporal muscle or the cartilage tissue taken from the structure called tragus in the ear entrance. Since these tissues are very close to the surgical field, they can be easily obtained during surgery.
How should post-operative care be performed?
Depending on the type of surgery, a surgical procedure that can take 1-4 hours is performed and a one-day hospital stay is sufficient. It is then possible to discharge the patient to be followed up with dressing. Until the postoperative recovery is completed, precautions such as protecting the ear from water and using antibiotic-cortisone drops are taken. Full recovery time is between 4 weeks and a few months. The success rate of the surgery in these patients is generally over 80%, depending on the serious of the disease and the pre-operative hearing level. Long-term follow-up is important in the operations performed for cholesteatoma and the high probability of recurrence in these patients requires regular follow-up after surgery.
