DESCRIPTION OF SURGERY:

Your doctor has determind that you have an abnormality in you ears which requires surgery. A tympanoplasty is an operation on the eardrum and tiny sound conducting bones of the middle ear inside the head. The operation involves a surgical cut in the ear canal and possibly also behind the ear. The doctor may also have to build a new eardrum.

INDICATIONS:

1. Perforation in the eardrum
2. Chronic otitis media with draining ear
3. Conductive hearing loss
4. Cholesteatoma
5. Eustachian tube dysfunction
6. Middle ear mass

BENEFITS:

1. Improvement in the hearing
2. Protect inner ear from direct impact from loud noises
3. Prevents an external ear infection leading to middle ear infection.
4. Patient gets a dry ear.

RISKS:

As with any operation bleeding and infection are possible complications from this ear operation. These complications could result in prolonged illness, poor healing wounds, scarring, and the need for further operations. Very rarely, nerve damage occurs from tympanoplasty operations. This could result in weakness, pain, and numbness over half the face and the inability to move the muscles of half the face. Nerve damage can also cause rare complications, which can follow this surgery. Appearance of the ear may change after the surgery. Dizziness, ringing of the ear and other peculiar sensations in the ear are other uncommon complications of this surgery.

Some of the complications of tympanoplasty operations can require further surgery; some of the complications can result in prolonged illness and deafness. In addition to those listed, there may be some unforeseen complications with any operative procedure.

ALTERNATIVES:

There may be alternatives to this surgery available to you, such as the use of medications, hearing aids, and delaying surgery. However, these alternative methods carry their own risk of complications and a varying degree of success. Therefore, in those patients in whom tympanoplasty is indicated, the operation provides the patient with the best chance of successful treatment and the lowest risk of complications.