Tympanoplasty (TIM-pah-noj-plas-tee) is a surgery to repair the eardrum. The eardrum is a thin layer of tissue that vibrates in response to sound. Each ear is made up of 3 parts. There is the outer ear which you can see, and which gathers the sound. Further in, the outer ear joins the middle ear on each side of the head. Deeper still, there is an inner ear on each side. The ear drum stretches across the deepest part of the ear tube between the outer ear and the middle ear.

 

Before the operation you will have the operation explained to you and will be asked to fill in an operation consent form. The operation can be done by having an anaesthetic. At the time of operation you have a general anaesthetic and are completely asleep. A cut will be made in the skin above your ear. From inside this cut the surgeon will take a small, thin piece of tissue. This tissue is called a graft, and the surgeon will use it to seal up the hole in your ear drum. The surgeon will shine a microscope inside your ear, and the rest of the operation is carried out through the ear passage. Using very, very small instruments, the ear drum is lifted up and the graft is put underneath the ear drum and spread out to seal up the hole. A small amount of some sticky-spongy dissolvable material is placed on each side of the graft (in the ear tube and the middle ear) to support the graft until it heals and seals up the hole. This material will just melt away in a few weeks.

 

After the operation the nurses will help you with everything you need until you are able to do things for yourself. Do not make important decisions during this time. You must not blow your nose, and you must not stifle any sneezing. You may have some dizziness for the first 24 hours after the operation, but this is not very common. Medicine can be given to stop the dizziness. You may notice a strange squelching, buzzing or popping noise in your ear. This is usually due to the dressing in the ear, it is expected and you should not worry about it. The noises usually stop when the dressing is removed.