Cartilage palisade tympanoplasty.

Recurrent tympanic membrane perforations are usually caused by underlying conditions such as an adhesive process with a poorly aerated middle ear space, a thermal perforation, infection, or technical error at the time of graft placement. Despite surgical treatment these reperforations pose a significant otologic problem that may lead to the development of chronic otitis media and cholesteatoma. The purpose of this study is to detail the use of a new cartilage palisade tympanoplasty technique that has yielded a 100% tympanic membrane closure rate without recurrent perforations in 52 operated ears over a 2-year period. The acoustic properties of the rebuilt tympanic membrane were analyzed for types I, II, and III tympanoplasty and revealed a significant improvement in the postoperative air bone gap.