A Clinical Comparison of Outpatient and Standard Myringoplasty

Abstract

This prospective study compared the surgical outcomes of 35 patients who underwent myringoplasty—16 who were treated as outpatients and 19 who were admitted as inpatients. The outpatient technique involved a free skin graft, with the temporalis fascia placed as an underlay graft. The inpatients underwent the standard myringoplasty procedure. Postoperatively, 14 of the 16 outpatients (87.5%) and 17 of the 19 inpatients (89.5%) were completely healed within 2 weeks. The results of this study indicate that outpatient myringoplasty with a free skin graft is as safe and effective as standard myringoplasty for most patients.