Composite graft tympanoplasty in the treatment of ears with advanced middle ear pathology.

In ears with advanced pathology, the functional and anatomical results of surgery are compromised by such factors as total perforation, tympanosclerosis, atelectasis, suppuration, or previous surgery. Perichondrium cartilage composite grafts (PCCGs) were used for membrane grafting in 550 such cases over a period of 5 years. In all, 197 tympanoplastic procedures of type I (25% with previous surgery) and 353 of type III (47% with previous surgery) were carried out. The graft was obtained from the tragus and/or the concha. Two slightly different surgical techniques of grafting were used. Closure of the eardrum perforation was successful in 92% of the procedures. An air-bone gap of less than or equal to 30 dB was obtained in 92.4% of tympanoplasty type I procedures and in 79% of tympanoplasty type III procedures. The conclusion drawn from the results is that PCCG is a reliable graft in cases of advanced destruction of the middle ear.