Endoscopic transtympanic cartilage push-through myringoplasty without tympanomeatal flap elevation for tympanic membrane perforation

Background The elevation of the tympanomeatal flap in endoscopic myringoplasty will cause considerable tissue damage. Objective To analyze anatomic and audiological results of tympanic membrane perforation underwent endoscopic transtympanic cartilage push-through myringoplasty without tympanomeatal flap elevation (EPM) and their relationship with the size of perforation. Methods A clinical retrospective study was performed on 75 cases of tympanic membrane perforation that underwent EPM from January 2019 to March 2021. Graft success and hearing outcomes were evaluated 3 months after surgery. Results The overall graft success rate for EPM was 94.7% (71/75). The total rate of hearing success, postoperative ABG <= 20 dB was achieved in 96.0% (72/75). The overall mean AC threshold of 35.1 +/- 5.6 dB was lowered to 25.0 +/- 4.8 dB postoperatively (p < .01). The mean pre- and postoperative ABG of all patients were 20.5 +/- 4.6 dB and 10.4 +/- 3.9 dB (p < .01), respectively. The graft success rates for the small, middle and large perforations groups were 100% (11/11), 100% (34/34) and 86.7% (26/30), respectively. Conclusion It is revealed that EPM is an effective method to repair perforation of tympanic membrane. The size of the tympanic membrane perforation may be a risk factor for perforation healing and hearing recovery, although EPM is available for large perforations.