Tympanoplasty outcomes in elderly patients

Abstract Objective To investigate the outcomes of tympanoplasty in elderly (≥60 years) compared with young patients (18–59 years). Materials and methods Patients who had been performed type I tympanoplasty between 2009 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative and postoperative audiological results and the graft success of 42 older patients were compared with those of 72 younger ones. Results The mean preoperative air conduction levels were statistically significantly higher in older group (57.4 ± 16.8 dB) than younger group (37.3 ± 10.3 dB) ( p p p p p  = 0.225, p  = 0.786 respectively). Conclusion Although preoperative and postoperative air and bone conduction levels were worse in the older group, graft take rates and postoperative hearing gain did not differ between the groups. If the physical status is stable tympanoplasty procedure can be recommended for elderly patients.