Experience with tympanoplasty for atelectatic ears

Atelectasis is, unfortunately, still a common sequela of otitis media with effusion (OME) — including serous otitis media (SOM) and mucoid otitis media (MOM). When atelectatic ears provide a functional deficit, i.e., a conductive loss of sufficient magnitude or a residual conductive loss after aerating the middle ear with ventilaiton tube or early or strongly suspected attic cholesteatoma, a simple corrective procedure has been used which has stood the test of time. The procedure as well as experience with 51 patients (60 ears) will be described and discussed.