A study to assess hearing improvement after fat graft myringoplasty

Abstract

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Tympanic membrane perforations result mainly from infectious and traumatic etiologies. Postoperative outcomes of reconstructive surgeries of hearing mechanism have routinely been assessed by take up rates and air bone gap closure on pure tone testing. The present study was conducted to assess hearing improvement after fat graft myringoplasty.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> The present prospective study was conducted from 1<sup>st</sup> January 2017 to 30<sup>th</sup> June 2018. The study population consists of patients of age 18 to 60 years. The subjects with safe or tubotympanic type of chronic suppurative otitis media with small dry central perforation or perforation of the pars tensa less than 3 mm were included in the study. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) was consigned to an audiologist who was blind to the study. Air conduction threshold level was measured at frequencies 0.25 to 8 kHz and bone conduction threshold level was measured at frequencies 0.5 to 4 kHz; average air bone gap of each patient was calculated preoperatively and postoperatively at one and three months at the frequencies 500 Hz, 1000 Hz and 2000 Hz. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Among 30 patients, 15 (50.00%) had pre-operative bone conduction threshold in the range of 0-10 dB HL and rest 15 (50.00%) had between 11-20 dB HL. Majority of them i.e. 20 had post-operative air bone gap in the range of 0-10 dB HL whereas 02 had pre op air bone gap in this range, followed by 07 with air bone gap in the range of 11-20 dB HL as compared to 18 in the pre op and 03 in the range of 21-30 dB HL as compared to 10 in the pre op. Paired t test reveals results are significant.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Postoperative audiometry at the end of 1 month revealed majority i.e. 14 had air bone gap in range of 0-10 dB HL thus showing improvement in hearing. Postoperative audiometry at the end of 3 months revealed maximum number of patients i.e. 20 in the range of 0-10 dB HL which showed further improvement in hearing in the form of decrease in air bone gap.</p><p class="Default"> </p>