Patient Factors Predicting Success in Lateral Graft Tympanoplasty

To compare the effects of preoperative medical comorbidities and operative findings on the success of lateral graft tympanoplasty. Retrospective chart review. Tertiary medical center. Ninety-six patients undergoing lateral graft tympanoplasty from December 2008 to November 2020 with at least 2 months follow-up were included. Patient demographics, comorbidities including smoking status, intraoperative findings, and healing, and hearing outcomes were recorded. Lateral graft tympanoplasty. The primary outcome was perforation closure. Secondary outcomes were postoperative complications and change in air-bone gap (ABG). Ninety-nine ears (mean age 40.94 ± 18.44 years) were included. Tympanic membrane perforation closure was achieved in 92 (92.9%) ears. Perforation closure was not associated with diabetes ( > 0.99), smoking ( > 0.99), or the presence of cholesteatoma at the time of lateral graft tympanoplasty ( = 0.10). Increased age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.04, = 0.31) was also not correlated with tympanic membrane closure rate. An absent malleus resulted in a higher rate of lateralization (31.3% versus 2.1%; OR = 18.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.09-95.95, = 0.001) but not blunting (12.5% versus 4.8%; OR = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.49-12.93, = 0.24). The mean ABG improved 6.82 ± 11.33 dB ( < 0.01). History of prior tympanoplasty was associated with smaller ABG improvement following surgery (ß = 4.038, = 0.262, = 0.04) but not perforation closure (OR = 3.25, 95% CI = 0.63-16.81, = 0.24). Diabetes, active smoking, and advancing age were not associated with adverse healing in patients undergoing lateral graft tympanoplasty. Lateralization was more common with an absent malleus.