Myringotomy tube materials: bacterial adhesion and infection.

Postoperative infection after placement of myringotomy tubes is common. Surgeons and manufacturers of surgical devices have frequently substituted one material for another in middle ear prostheses without analyzing the interaction of material and infection. Implant material attributes are reviewed. Scanning electron micrographs are presented that demonstrate characteristic surface differences between materials and between the same material of different manufacturers. A preliminary clinical controlled study of the covariance of purulence with silicone vs fluorocarbon tubes demonstrates statistically significant differences. The implications of this information are discussed.