Hyaluronic Acid Gel as Middle Ear and External Auditory Canal Packing Material in Tympanoplasty

Objective. This study aims to evaluate the effect of hyaluronic acid gel (HAG) on tympanic membrane (TM) graft success rate and audiometric outcomes in patients with large TM perforations during tympanoplasty.Study Design. A single-blinded randomized controlled trial.SettingTertiary hospital.Methods. In the study, we performed tympanoplasty via postauricular approach on 488 ears and compared 2 groups: the control group (n = 247) with absorbable gelatin sponge packing and the HAG group (n = 241) with HAG packing in both the middle ear and medial 2/3 of the external auditory canal. We compared the graft success rates and postoperative audiometric outcomes between the 2 groups.Results. In a study of 488 ears (HAG group = 241, control group = 247), the HAG group had a higher graft success rate of 96.7% (233/241 ears) compared to the control group's 91.5% (226/247 ears; P = .015). No significant difference was observed between HAG and control in postoperative ABG closure within 20 dB (HAG: 66.8% or 161 ears; control: 59.1% or 146 ears; P = .078). There were no significant differences in improvements, compared to their preoperative condition, in mean bone conduction (HAG: -0.1 +/- 6.5; control: 1.3 +/- 7.6), air conduction (HAG: 8.7 +/- 12.1; control: 9.7 +/- 13.1), air-bone gap (HAG: 8.8 +/- 10.6; control: 8.4 +/- 12.0), and speech reception threshold (HAG: 9.4 +/- 11.8; control: 9.2 +/- 13.5) between the control and HAG groups (two one-sided T test, P < .001).Conclusion. In tympanoplasty, HAG packing in the middle ear and external auditory canal yields higher graft success rates than absorbable gelatin sponge, while audiometric outcomes are similar for both the HAG and absorbable gelatin sponge packing cohorts.

Automated summary

The use of hyaluronic acid gel (HAG) in tympanoplasty can improve graft success rate, while audiometric outcomes are similar compared to the absorbable gelatin sponge packing group.