Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of patient age on auditory and surgical outcomes in pediatric patients undergoing tympanoplasty.

Methods: Patients in pediatric age group who underwent type 1 tympanoplasty operation between January 2013 and January 2016 at the Ear, Nose and Throat department were retrospectively analyzed. Age, gender, bilateral otoscopic examination findings, pure tone audiometry results of preoperative and postoperative air conduction, bone conduction and air-bone gap were evaluated. 60 pediatric patients, 30 female and 30 male, underwent type 1 tympanoplasty were included in the study. Patients were observed periodically for one year after the operation.

Results: The patients were divided into two groups; 20 patients in the 7-13 age group (group 1), and 40 patients in the 14-18 age group (group 2). The mean age of the patients was 14.17±2.9 (minimum 7; maximum 18). Preoperative and postoperative mean air conduction gain, mean bone conduction gain, mean air-bone gain and tympanic membrane perforation success rates were compared between two groups. Mean air conduction gain was found to be marginally significant in group 1, while other parameters were not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Lower surgical success rate was obtained in the early pediatric age group compared to the advanced pediatric age group. When hearing thresholds of both groups were evaluated, more hearing gain was obtained in the early pediatric age group; but the results were not statistically significant.