Surgical Outcomes of Pure-Fat Myringoplasty for Small Tympanic Membrane Perforations: A Retrospective Study and Summary of the Literature in the Last 10 Years

Abstract

Background and Objectives Fat myringoplasty is a simple, fast, and effective procedure for repairing tympanic membrane (TM) perforations. The aim of this study is to evaluate the surgical outcomes of pure-fat myringoplasty for small TM perforations at our hospital and review the current knowledge regarding fat myringoplasty, with consideration of the effectiveness of additional substances used in the treatment of small TM perforations.Subjects and Method We retrospectively studied 41 patients who underwent pure-fat myringoplasty at our hospital from March 2008 through April 2019 and were followed up for at least 2 months thereafter.Results Of 41 patients, 16 were males and 25 were females, with the mean age of 48 (male, 9-75 years; female, 16-65 years). All perforations were classified as small perforations, ranging from 1% to 17% of the TM. The overall success rate was 92.7%, with the TMs of 3 patients (7.3%) failing to close. Air-bone gap (ABG) decreased in 19 out of 24 patients who underwent both preoperative and postoperative pure tone audiometric examinations. The mean ABG was 4.42 dB (n=24; paired-t test, p=0.001; 95% confidence interval, 1.77-7.07). The literature review revealed that TM closure success rate of over 80% was associated with pure-fat myringoplasty, while the TM closure success rate for fat myringoplasty with additional substances was 85% to 100%.Conclusion Our study revealed a high TM closure success rate and good hearing outcomes are associated with pure-fat myringoplasty. Pure-fat myringoplasty seems to be sufficient for repairing small TM perforations.