OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate the effect of the tympanostomy tube (TT) on postoperative retraction of the soft
posterior meatal wall caused by habitual
sniffing following
ear surgery, including a
mastoidectomy and soft-wall reconstruction of the
posterior meatal wall. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: Sixty-six
ears of 64 patients with
acquired cholesteatoma who underwent staged
ear surgery with a soft-wall reconstruction method and
mastoidectomy were enrolled; 26 out of 66
ears had habitual
sniffing (
sniffing positive[+]), underwent TT placement (TT positive[+]) during
surgery, and were followed up for at least 8 months after
surgery. Sixty-six
ears were divided into
sniffing+/TT+,
sniffing negative(-)/TT+, and sniffing-/TT- groups, and the degree of the retraction was compared among the three groups. RESULTS: The distribution of the grades of the postoperative retraction of the soft
posterior meatal wall was almost the same among the three groups (P = .60).
Ears with severe retraction were found in 19.2% (5/26), 33.3% (7/21), and 15.8% (3/19) in the
sniffing+/TT+ group, sniffing-/TT+ group, and sniffing-/TT- groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The TT was found to be effective in preventing the development of postoperative retraction of the reconstructed soft
posterior meatal wall and
tympanic membrane among cases with habitual
sniffing. We would suggest that TT placement is recommended during
surgery for
cholesteatoma if a patient was found to engage in habitual
sniffing.
