Ventilation tubes and persisting tympanic membrane perforations.

Surgical management of otitis media with effusion and recurrent acute otitis media includes myringotomy and the use of ventilation tubes. Since this procedure was reintroduced by Armstrong in 1954, it has become one of the most commonly performed operations in otolaryngology. In most series perforation of the tympanic membrane in some patients has been reported after spontaneous extrusion or removal of the tympanostomy tubes. We present a retrospective review designed to examine the incidence of persisting perforations of the tympanic membrane in our series of 2604 operated ears. The study also identifies and analyzes the variables and the contributing risk factors. Perforations occurred in 3.06% of the ears: with a greater incidence in children younger than 5 years, when the indication was recurrent purulent otitis media, with the use of long-term Goode T tubes, in cases with repeated insertions of ventilation tubes, and in cases in which postoperative otorrhea was frequent.