Tympanometric volume: a predictor of success of tympanoplasty in children.

Objectives: To determine if preoperative tympanometric volumes have any predictive value in the success of pediatric tympanoplasty.

Study Design And Setting: Retrospective chart review in a tertiary referral center.

Main Outcome Measures: Success was defined as no evidence of tympanic membrane perforation via otoscopic examination and normal aeration of the middle ear.

Methods: Fifty-eight pediatric patients who underwent tympanoplasty between 1996 and 2004 were studied; reviewed factors included recent discharge from the ear, perforation size, disease of the contralateral ear, age, gender, middle ear findings, and location of perforation.

Results: The overall success rate was 59 percent. The success rate was 89 percent for patients with a large preoperative tympanometric volume compared with 34 percent for patients with a small volume. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that disease of the contralateral ear and a large tympanometric volume were statistically significant.

Conclusion And Significance: A large tympanometric volume may be an important factor when considering tympanoplasty in children. In addition, disease of the contralateral ear may be a prognostic indicator.