Early Results of Type I Tympanoplasty in Underprivileged Nepalese Children and Factors Influencing the Surgical Outcomes

Introduction Type I Tympanoplasty is a common ear surgery performed in Nepalese children, but no studies have been published about the success rate of the procedure and the factors affecting surgical outcomes. Objectives To find out the surgical outcome of type I tympanoplasty and to evaluate the factors affecting the success of the surgery in Nepalese children. Methods This is a retrospective study conducted by analyzing the medical records of a five-year period. Children aged 8-16 years who underwent type I tympanoplasty were included in the study. Surgical pro-forma and records of pre and post-operative pure tone audiometry were documented. Outcome of the surgery was considered a success in terms of graft uptake and hearing improvement six months after surgery. Results Out of 629 children who underwent type I tympanoplasty, anatomical success was observed in 93.32% (n = 587) and functional success in 76% (n = 478). Factors such as age, site and size of the perforation, status of the middle ear and contralateral ear, surgical approach, and the graft used were not the predictors of the surgical outcome. Conclusions The surgical outcome of type I tympanoplasty in Nepalese children was good. Although surgical outcome was better with older children, post-aural approach, temporalis fascia, inferiorly positioned perforations, and in children with dry middle ear mucosa, none of the parameters considered in this study were found to be a significant predictive factor of the surgical outcome.