Tragus Perichondrium-Cartilage Island and Temporalis Muscle Fascia for Repairing Tympanic Membrane Perforation Under the Otoendoscope: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective To compare the clinical effects of repairing tympanic membrane perforation (TMP) with the tragus perichondrium-cartilage island and temporalis muscle fascia (TMF) under the otoendoscope. Methods The clinical data of 84 patients (total 84 ears) with TMP repaired by otoendoscopy from March 2019 to April 2021 were analyzed. The patients were randomly divided into the control group (n = 42, TMF repair) and the experimental group (n = 42, perichondrium-cartilage island repair). The intraoperative blood loss, operation time, length of hospital stay, success rate of the TMP repair, mean air-conducted sound, and air-bone gap before and after surgery were compared between the two groups. Results The mean air-bone gap and mean air-conducted hearing threshold in the experimental group were significantly lower after surgery at all frequencies than those of the control group (all P < .05). The reduction of the mean air-conducted hearing threshold in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < .001). The surgery time of the experimental group was significantly shorter than the control group (78.04 +/- 2.23 vs. 84.27 +/- 1.67 minutes, P < .001). The success rate of the TMP repair was 95.24% (40/42) in the experimental group and 92.86% (39/42) in the control group, indicating that there was no significant difference in the success rate of TMP repair between the two materials (risk ratio = 1.75; 95% confidence interval: .31-12.04; P = .71). Conclusion Repairs with the tragus perichondrium-cartilage island have a short operation time, high healing rate, and more significant postoperative hearing improvement, which makes it a more effective method of TMP repair.