Objective: This study aimed to compare the results of different graft materials in type I tympanoplasty for patients with a large perforation of the tympanic membrane.
Methods: We performed a retrospective study on 180 patients with type I tympanoplasty. The patients were divided into three groups according to the repair materials used. Age, sex, pre- and postoperative hearing levels, mean air-bone gap, rate of graft success, hearing gain, and the postoperative graft failure rate were evaluated. We continued to follow-up the patients to 1 year after surgery.
Results: The air conduction threshold was significantly higher before the operation than after the operation in the temporalis fascia, partial-thickness cartilage, and full-thickness cartilage groups. Although the hearing gain in the temporalis fascia group and the partial-thickness cartilage group was higher than that in the full-thickness cartilage group, there was no significant difference in the graft success rate among the groups.
Conclusions: Temporalis fascia, partial-thickness cartilage, and full-thickness cartilage can be used as appropriate transplantation materials for tympanoplasty type I in patients with a large perforation. Temporalis fascia and partial-thickness cartilage may be best for improvement of hearing.
Keywords: Cartilage graft thickness; air conduction; graft survival; hearing; tympanic perforation; tympanoplasty.