Push-Through Myringoplasty Versus External Auditory Canal Flap Tympanoplasty for Chronic Marginal Perforations

Objective: We compared the operation times, graft success rates, and hearing gains between push-through (PT) myringoplasty and external auditory canal (EAC) flap tympanoplasty in patients with chronic marginal perforations. Materials and Methods: A total of 77 patients with chronic marginal perforations were randomly allocated to endoscopic perichondrium-cartilage myringoplasty with raising of the EAC flaps (n = 39) and PT technique (n = 38) groups. The graft outcomes, mean operation times, and postoperative complications were compared 6 months after operation. Results: The graft success rate was 97.4% (38/39) in the EAC group and 81.6% (31/38) in the PT group; the difference was significant (P = .056). The mean operation time was 40.7 +/- 10.4 min in the EAC group and 42.4 +/- 8.3 min in the PT group (P = .741). In the EAC group, the mean pre-and postoperative air-bone gap (ABG)s were 29.3 (range: 28.4 +/- 8.6) and 12.1 (range: 11.8 +/- 2.4) dB (P < .01), respectively; the respective values were 29.5 (range: 29.1 +/- 5.4) and 12.6 (range: 12.0 +/- 1.3) dB (P < .01) in the PT group. No significant group difference was observed in the pre-(P = .794) or postoperative (P = .689) ABG values or mean ABG gain (16.7 +/- 5.3 vs 17.1 +/- 7.7 dB; P = .526). In addition, graft medialization occurred in 7.9% patients in the PT group. However, graft lateralization, significant blunting, deteriorative sensorineural hearing loss, vertigo, or tinnitus were not encountered in either group. No taste change was reported and no inclusion cholesteatoma was seen in the EAC group. Conclusion: Endoscopic perichondrium-cartilage myringoplasty with raising of an EAC flap is useful and minimally invasive to repair chronic marginal perforations; the technique is simple, has a high graft success rate in comparison to the PT technique.