Endoscopic versus microscopic type-I cartilage tympanoplasty for anterior perforation - a comparative study.

Background: Chronic otitis media with anterior perforation is a challenging condition to treat with a microscope especially if the canal is narrow or has overhang. The endoscope provides the advantage of wide-angle view and transcanal access avoiding postauricular approach and canaloplasty.

Objective: To compare the anatomical, functional outcomes, and surgical duration between endoscopic and microscopic type-I tympanoplasty performed for anterior perforation.

Methods: A comparative study was conducted. The two groups, the microscopic (MT) and the endoscopic (ET) were created with 50 cases each and underwent type-I tympanoplasty. Results were evaluated at a minimum follow-up of 12 months.

Results: The graft uptake rate in MT and ET was 81.8% and 91.3% respectively and was not statistically significant. The mean operative time for MT and ET was 68.68 ± 18.79 min and 61.24 ± 11.18 min respectively which was significant (p-.003). Endoscopic tympanoplasty significantly saved time. The difference in hearing outcomes was highly significant within the groups but not between the groups.

Conclusions: The endoscopic tympanoplasty offered superior visualization avoiding postauricular incision and canaloplasty, with morphological and functional outcomes comparable to microscopic tympanoplasty. It offers significantly faster completion of procedure and provides minimally invasive surgery.