[Tympanoplasty with soft-wall reconstruction of ear canal].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of tympanoplasty with soft-wall reconstruction of ear canal for chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma.

METHOD: Seventy-three patients (76 ears) suffering from chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma were treated with canal wall down mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty. Postauricular myo-periosteal flap was used to the soft-wall reconstruction of ear canal, and the cavityplasty of auricular concha was not performed. The auricular bone prosthesis was made of the autogeneic mastoid cortical bone or residual incus. The postoperative modality and the function of external auditory canal and the postoperative hearing and the postoperative complications were observed.

RESULT: The mean dry ear time was (21.1 +/- 3. 1) days after surgery in this study. The postoperative modality of external auditory canal was normal on the whole. The patients were followed up between 6 months and 24 months after surgery. The postoperative average air conduction hearing was improved by (14.5 +/- 6.1) dB HL.

CONCLUSION: Tympanoplasty with soft-wall reconstruction of ear canal using the postauricular myo-periosteal flap can recover the modality and function of external auditory canal on the whole, and the cavityplasty of auricular concha is not needed. The postoperative hearing can be improved by this technique satisfactorily.