[Tympanoplasty].

The first goal of tympanoplasty as treatment for chronic otitis media is to obtain a clean, disease-free ear, the second one hearing improvement. Prerequisite for success is the sufficient functioning of the inner ear as well as of the Eustachian tube. Therefore, patients very often have to undergo adjuvant treatment such as adenotomy, rhino-surgery and surgery of the paranasal sinuses. Microsurgery of the ear has become very refined. Thus even after removal of extensive inflammation it is now possible to rebuild the middle ear using various proved as well as newly developed biomaterials. Often a two-stage procedure is advisable for cholesteatoma surgery. In this disease meticulous postoperative care and longterm follow-ups are very important.