What is tympanoplasty of the ear?
Tympanoplasty (say “tim-PAN-oh-plass-tee”) is surgery to repair a hole in the eardrum. The surgery may have been done to improve hearing or to stop frequent ear infections that did not get better with other treatments. You may feel dizzy for a few days after surgery.
What are the types of tympanoplasty?
Wullstein Classification:
- Type I: repair of the TM alone; no abnormality of the middle ear.
- Type II: repair of the TM and middle ear; the malleus is eroded.
- Type III: repair of the TM onto the stapes head; the malleus and incus have a defect.
- Type IV: the TM is grafted to the stapes footplate, which is movable.
How many types of tympanoplasty are there?
Tympanoplasty is classified into five different types, originally described by Horst Ludwig Wullstein (1906–1987) in 1956. Type 1 involves repair of the tympanic membrane alone, when the middle ear is normal. A type 1 tympanoplasty is synonymous to myringoplasty.
What is the aim of tympanoplasty?
Doctors do a tympanoplasty when the eardrum (or tympanic membrane) has a hole that doesn’t close on its own. It is done to improve hearing and prevent water from getting into the middle ear. Kids can get a hole in an eardrum from: infections that cause the eardrum to burst.
What kind of anesthesia is used for tympanoplasty?
Tympanoplasty and mastoidectomy are two of the most common major ear operations performed on children. Anesthesia usually consists of an inhalational anesthetic and intravenous opioids. Surgical identification and preservation of the facial nerve are necessary because of its proximity to the surgical field.
Can a tympanoplasty fail?
Failure of tympanoplasty can occur either from an immediate infection during the healing period, from water getting into the ear, or from displacement of the graft after surgery. Most patients can expect a full “take” of the grafted eardrum and improvement in hearing.