Microscopic Ear Surgery

Perforations in the ear drum, a common problem among children, occur due to an infection or as a result of an injury. Drainage from the ear or bloody discharges are symptoms of a perforated ear. In such cases, an ENT specialist would probably recommend a microscopic ear surgery.

One such common surgery of this kind is the Tympanoplasty, also called “eardrum repair”, which is conducted to reconstruct a perforated eardrum or repair the small bones found in the middle of the ear.

The procedure is performed under local or general anesthesia and consists of the following steps done one after the other:

• The process is initiated by making an incision into the ear canal.
• The view of the area of surgery is enlarged using a microscope.
• Then, the bones that aid hearing are first inspected for any damages
• A graft is taken from the vein or tissues under the ear lobe to reconstruct the tympanic membrane, if it is required.
• The ear is then stitched together where the stitches are buried under the skin and they need not have to be removed later.

After the Surgery

A patient, after having undergone Tympanoplasty is allowed to return home within 2 – 3 hours. The patient is advised to return after about 10 days to have the surgical packing removed and the ear to be inspected in order to evaluate the success of the surgery.

The insides of the ear must be protected from water and it is not advisable to blow through the nose. For quicker healing, the graft must be kept free from any infections.