Graft Success and Hearing Results between Cartilage Island Graft and Temporal Muscle Fascia Graft Myringoplasty

OBJECTIVE: To compare the graft success and hearing results in patients who underwent cartilage island graft (CIG) myringoplasty and temporal muscle fascia graft (TFG) myringoplasty. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective clinical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Otolaryngology Clinic, Ankara, from January 2013 to January 2018. METHODOLOGY: Patients who underwent cartilage island graft myringoplasty and temporal muscle graft myringoplasty for chronic non-suppurative otitis media were inducted. Age, gender, preoperative audiologic examination results, postoperative audiologic examination, perforation site, graft material, preoperative microscopic examination and graft success were documented. RESULTS: A total of 116 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 35 +/-15.3 years. Fifty-four patients were females and 62 were males. Temporal muscle fascia graft was applied to 68 (58.6%) patients, while cartilage graft was applied to 48 (41.4%) patients. The success rate of graft was found to be 80.2% (55 cases with graft success) in TFG; whereas, this rate was found to be 93.8% (45 cases with graft success) in CIG group. Cartilage island graft material had a better graft success in terms of graft endurance (p = 0.048). There was no statistically significant difference between the two graft materials in terms of postoperative hearing success (p = 0.29). CONCLUSION: Cartilage island grafts can be preferable for myringoplasty operations.