| Abstrakt: |
Approximately 25 years ago, Wullstein and Zollner introduced the concept of tympano-plasty to the field of chronic ear disease. Prior to this time, the main objective of surgery was to eliminate otorrhea and very little thought was given to the functional restoration of hearing. To convert a draining ear to a dry, functioning one has been the goal of tympanoplasty for this ensuing quarter of a century. The state of the art has developed to where currently the majority of surgeons obtain graft takes in the vicinity of 90-97%. Return or preservation of hearing is anywhere from 60-85%, depending upon the type of ossicular defect. This, of course, has economic overtones both from the cost of medical care and from restoration of function to the patient. There is certainly something to be said for control of the disease process so the patient does not periodically lose time from work and does not have to buy drugs. With restoration of function the patient many times can obtain a better job and increase his standard of living. Many patients are happy to have their ears repaired so they no longer have to see a doctor five or six times a year for consultation and prescriptions. Some of these individuals have been having difficulty for 15 to 20 years and they are most appreciative when they no longer require outpatient care. While there are still problems to overcome, it is the authors' opinion, based on the current state of the art, that tympanoplasty has progressed a great deal since the early 1950's and at this time is a successful method of dealing with chronic ear disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
Plný text