RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of graft size on postoperative air-bone gap in children undergoing butterfly inlay cartilage tympanoplasty using circular punch grafts. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review. SETTING: Tertiary, academic children's hospital. PATIENTS: Children less than 16 years old undergoing circular butterfly inlay tympanoplasty using 4, 5, or 6âmm round grafts. INTERVENTION: Butterfly inlay tympanoplasty using circular punch graft harvest technique. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postoperative pure-tone average and air-bone gap. RESULTS: Fifty-two children were included in the analysis: 18 in the 4âmm group, 28 in the 5âmm group, and 6 in the 6âmm group. There was no significant difference in either postoperative pure-tone average or air-bone gap among the three groups. Closure rates for the 4, 5, and 6âmm graft groups were 94, 96, and 67%, respectively, for an overall rate of 92%. CONCLUSIONS: Cartilage button butterfly inlay tympanoplasty with punch graft is an effective method for tympanic membrane repair with similar hearing results among various graft diameters but may have diminished success with perforations requiring grafts larger than 5âmm. Larger case series are necessary to determine if larger defects are best managed with other repair techniques.