Analysis of the air bone gap after a tympanoplasty in combination with Tubaclen

Introduction The aim of this is to evaluate whether the use of tubules in the context of tympanoscopy improves air and bone conduction and thus also contributes to a reduction in the air-bone gap (ABG).

Material/Methods Retrospectively, the preoperative pure tone audio data (250 Hz – 6000 Hz) was compared with the postoperative one in patients who underwent tympanoscopy of different types between 2016 and 2020. Some of the patients received a Tubaclen treatment, in which the ear tube was inserted with a catheter and then rinsed out with cortisone. In particular, the ABG₄ (mean value of pure tone over four frequencies (500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz)) was examined for the analysis.

Results The comparison of the pure tone audiometry showed in the comparison of the pre- and postoperative data that the ABG4 showed an even split between deterioration (ABG_post AGB_pre + 5dB), improvement (ABG_post AGB_pre  – 5dB) and no change (AGB_pre+ 5dB≥  ABG_post≤ AGB_pre – 5dB) both for treatment with and without Tubaclen.

Conclusion  The results showed no significant correlation to closure of the air-bone gap by tubules. Closure of the postoperative ABG depends on many factors (e.g. access, tympanoplasty type) that may correlate with effective ABG closure. This will be analyzed further to find out if there is a possibility to make a postoperative audiological prediction.

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023