Tympanoplasty (TIM-pah-noh-plass-tee) is a surgery to repair the eardrum. The eardrum is a thin layer of tissue that vibrates in response to sound.
Doctors do a tympanoplasty when the eardrum (or tympanic membrane) has a hole that doesn't close on its own. It is done to improve hearing and prevent water from getting into the middle ear.
Kids can get a hole in an eardrum from:
Most of the time, the eardrum can repair itself. So at first, doctors closely watch a hole in a child's eardrum rather than fix it right away. They might wait years to repair one in a very young child. This lets the ear develop enough to help prevent complications after the surgery. Surgery might also wait if a child has ongoing problems with ear infections.
A child will have a hearing test before the surgery. This lets doctors compare the results with hearing tests done after the surgery.
Your health care provider will tell you what and when your child can eat and drink before the surgery. Your child's stomach must be empty on the day of the procedure.
You can help prepare your child and ease any fears by talking about what to expect during and after the tympanoplasty.
An ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon will do the tympanoplasty. Your child will get general anesthesia to sleep through the procedure. The anesthesiologist will carefully watch your child and keep him or her safely and comfortably asleep.
During a tympanoplasty, the hole in the eardrum is patched. The patch, also called a graft, can be made of:
The surgeon will put packing material behind and on top of the eardrum to keep the graft in place. This material dissolves over several weeks.
The operation usually takes from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
The surgery team will give you care instructions. For example, your child might need to:
For about a week after surgery, your child may have:
Usually, any packing placed in the ear will dissolve over time. At the first post-operative visit 2–3 weeks after surgery, the surgeon may try to remove any that is left. You can expect your child's hearing to improve over 2 or 3 months after the surgery. The surgery team will schedule a repeat hearing test 8–12 weeks after surgery.
There's a very small risk of bleeding or infection from a tympanoplasty. Other risks include:
To help your child after a tympanoplasty:
Make sure your child avoids:
Most children can return to regular activities a couple of days after surgery.
Call your doctor if:
Reviewed by: William J. Parkes, IV, MD
Date Reviewed: Jul 1, 2019