Tympanoplasty is a surgical procedure performed to repair a perforated eardrum caused by middle-ear infection or trauma. Under general anesthesia, an ear, nose and throat specialist grafts a small patch from a vein elsewhere in the body onto the eardrum to repair the tear. Tympanoplasty usually is a last resort when antibiotics and non-surgical treatment fails. In most cases, the operation completely relieves pain and infection with only minor hearing loss. However, the outlook is dim in cases where the eardrum has attached to the bones of the middle ear. Patients usually leave the hospital the same day and are warned to avoid getting water in the ear for a few weeks. The risks with tympanoplasty are the same as risks associated with any other operation. They include the chance of bleeding and infection, as well as incomplete of the wound. Because surgery on the middle ear is such a delicate procedure, there is a slim chance of hearing loss as a result of damage to the ossicles. The costs of surgery vary significantly. Insurance coverage depends on many factors and should be explored for each individual instance.
