Which Term Refers To Surgical Repair Of The Tympanic Membrane

Tympanoplasty

What Is a Tympanoplasty?

Tympanoplasty (TIM-pah-noh-plass-tee) is a surgery to repair the eardrum. The eardrum is a thin layer of tissue that vibrates in response to sound.

Why Is a Tympanoplasty Washed?

Doctors do a tympanoplasty when the eardrum (or tympanic membrane) has a pigsty that doesn't close on its own. It is washed to amend hearing and prevent water from getting into the middle ear.

Kids tin get a hole in an eardrum from:

infections that cause the eardrum to burst
ventilation (ear) tubes that fall out or are removed
injury, such as puncturing the eardrum with a cotton wool swab
cholesteatoma, a growth within or behind the eardrum

About of the time, the eardrum tin can repair itself. So at first, doctors closely watch a pigsty in a child'southward eardrum rather than fix it right away. They might wait years to repair one in a very immature child. This lets the ear develop plenty to help prevent complications later the surgery. Surgery might as well wait if a kid has ongoing issues with ear infections.

What Happens Earlier a Tympanoplasty?

A child will have a hearing test before the surgery. This lets doctors compare the results with hearing tests washed after the surgery.

How Should Nosotros Prepare for a Tympanoplasty?

Your health care provider will tell you what and when your child tin can eat and drink before the surgery. Your child'due south stomach must be empty on the solar day of the procedure.

You can help prepare your child and ease whatsoever fears past talking about what to wait during and after the tympanoplasty.

What Happens During Tympanoplasty?

An ear, olfactory organ, and pharynx (ENT) surgeon volition practice the tympanoplasty. Your kid volition get full general anesthesia to sleep through the procedure. The anesthesiologist volition carefully watch your child and keep him or her safely and comfortably asleep.

During a tympanoplasty, the hole in the eardrum is patched. The patch, also chosen a graft, can exist made of:

tissue taken from around your child's ear ( or fascia)
manmade material

The surgeon volition put packing material backside and on meridian of the eardrum to keep the graft in identify. This material dissolves over several weeks.

How Long Does a Tympanoplasty Accept?

The performance usually takes from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

What Happens After Tympanoplasty?

The surgery team volition requite you care instructions. For example, your child might need to:

avoid olfactory organ-blowing
sneeze with the mouth open
avoid getting water in the ear
utilise ear drops, if prescribed

For about a week later surgery, your kid may accept:

balmy ear pain that gets amend with pain medicine
a small corporeality of blood or fluid draining from the ear
a feeling of fullness in the ear

Ordinarily, any packing placed in the ear will dissolve over time. At the starting time post-operative visit ii–three weeks after surgery, the surgeon may try to remove any that is left. Y'all can expect your kid'due south hearing to improve over 2 or three months after the surgery. The surgery team will schedule a repeat hearing examination 8–12 weeks later surgery.

Are There Any Risks From Tympanoplasty?

There's a very small risk of bleeding or infection from a tympanoplasty. Other risks include:

graft failure
hearing that doesn't better or that gets worse
ringing in the ear
funny taste in the mouth
dizziness

How Tin Parents Help After Tympanoplasty?

To assist your kid after a tympanoplasty:

Follow the surgeon's care instructions.
Requite your child pain medicine, when needed.

Make sure your kid avoids:

getting water in the ear
heavy lifting
vigorous exercise and contact sports
any activities that may cause changes in pressure (swimming, diving, aeroplane travel)

Most children tin can return to regular activities a couple of days after surgery.

When Should I Call the Md?

Call your doctor if:

Y'all see fresh (bright red) blood on the bandage or packing, or oozing from the ear or incision.
The ear or incision is more tender, red, or swollen than information technology was when your child left the hospital.
Your child has a fever over 100.4°F (38°C).
Your child'due south pain gets worse.