BACKGROUND: Chronic suppurative otitis media is an inflammatory process of mucoperiosteal lining of middle ear space and mastoid. Effect of mastoidectomy on patients without evidence of active infectious disease remains highly debated and unproven. In this study the role of cortical mastoidectomy in myringoplasty in patients of CSOM in dry as well as wet ears was evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and role of cortical mastoidectomy in patients with CSOM (safe type) in dry as well as wet ears. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective randomized. METHODS: Data was collected from the patients undergoing myringoplasty with or without cortical mastoidectomy. Study was carried out on a total of 80 patients undergoing the surgery. Study period was 18 months with 6 months of follow up. Outcome was evaluated in terms of graft rejection, lateralization and change in AB gap. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The statistical analysis was done using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) Version 15.0 statistical Analysis Software. RESULTS: overall success rate was 77.5%. It was higher in dry ear (87.5%) as compared to wet ear (67.5%) and this difference was significant statistically. On evaluating odds of failure for wet ear, it was observed that group 1 had higher odds of failure for wet ear as compared to that of group 2. CONCLUSION: In both myringoplasty alone or with cortical mastoidectomy, failure rates were higher in wet as compared to dry ears, however odds of failure in wet cases were much higher in myringoplasty alone group as compared to myringoplasty with cortical mastoidectomy.

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