Outcomes with gold wire and hydroxyapatite partial ossicular replacement prostheses in type 2 tympanoplasty: a preliminary study

Abstract

AbstractObjectives:To compare the hearing results and graft take rates of the recently developed gold wire prosthesis with those of the hydroxyapatite partial ossicular replacement prosthesis in patients with chronic otitis media.Method:This retrospective study examined patients who underwent type 2 tympanoplasty with a minimum follow up of one year. The study population consisted of 32 patients in the partial ossicular replacement prosthesis group and 26 patients in the gold wire group. The main outcome measures were the graft success rate and level of hearing improvement. Complications and extrusion rates were also noted.Results:The graft take rate was 90.6 per cent for the partial ossicular replacement prosthesis group and 92.3 per cent for the gold wire group (p = 0.848). Pre-operatively, there were no significant differences in the air or bone-conduction thresholds between groups. Post-operatively, the mean hearing gain was 18.5 ± 14.0 dB in the partial ossicular replacement prosthesis group and 16.5 ± 10.6 dB in the gold wire group (p = 0.555). The mean air-conduction thresholds were 26.6 ± 12.4 and 32.6 ± 10.5 dB, respectively (p = 0.027), and the mean bone-conduction thresholds were 9.7 ± 7.0 and 10.4 ± 6.4 dB, respectively (p = 0.687).Conclusion:The success and complication rates provided by the gold wire prosthesis seem comparable to those of the hydroxyapatite partial ossicular replacement prosthesis.