International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery | November 2020 | Vol 6 | Issue 11 Page 2086 International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Prakash TK et al. Int J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 Nov;6(11):2086-2093 http://www.ijorl.com pISSN 2454-5929 | eISSN 2454-5937 Original Research Article Effect of canal widening (type I tympanoplasty) on hearing sensitivity Prakash Tumkur Kumaraswamy 1 , Abhilash Shambulingegowda 2 *, Devi Neelanmegarajan 3 INTRODUCTION The ability to hear is an important sensory function for communication and better quality of life. Disorders affecting hearing can be congenital or acquired. The leading cause of hearing loss in acquired disorders being chronic otitis media (COM) is both preventable and correctable to certain extent as well. COM is the chronic inflammation of mucoperiosteal lining of the middle ear cleft characterized by ear discharge, a permanent perforation of the tympanic membrane and impairment in hearing. 1 It is estimated that 6% of Indian population suffer from chronic middle ear disease and the majority of the cases especially seen in the rural population. 2,3 The incidence of COM is high in developing countries because of poor socioeconomic status, overcrowding, poor personal hygiene, poor nutrition and lack of health education. 4 COM of mucosal variety can be managed in two ways, conservative and surgical management. However, the main aim is to restore the anatomy and function of the middle ear. Small perforations usually heal spontaneously but when the edges of the perforation are covered by stratified squamous epithelium, a perforation becomes permanent and does not heal ABSTRACT Background: Chronic otitis media (COM) is a chronic inflammation of the middle ear cleft that is characterised by discharge from the middle ear through a perforated tympanic membrane for at least 6 weeks. The pattern and degree of hearing loss greatly vary in individuals with COM. Conductive hearing loss is the most common pattern. This could be managed conservatively or surgically. Mastoidectomy and/or tympanoplasty are frequently used management procedures for COM. The study aimed to investigate the efficacy of the type I tympanoplasty through a canal widening procedure on hearing sensitivity. Methods: Two groups participated in the study. Group I included 25 participants who underwent type I tympanoplasty with canal widening procedure and group II included 25 participants who underwent type I tympanoplasty without canal widening procedure. The audiometric results of pre-operative condition and post- operative condition at 1 month and 3 months were documented for further analysis. Results: The mean difference of pre-post (1 month) air conduction threshold was 12.68 dB in group I and 5.5 dB in group II participants. The mean difference of pre-post (3 month) air conduction threshold was 18.86 dB in group I and 8.24 dB in group II participants. There was a significant difference in thresholds that was obtained between the two groups and across conditions. Conclusions: The study provides clear evidence that Type I tympanoplasty with canal widening procedure provides a better improvement in hearing sensitivity for individuals with COM, where surgical procedure is an indication. Keywords: Air and bone conduction thresholds chronic otitis media, Hearing sensitivity, Pre-post operation 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, 3 Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysuru, Karnataka, India 2 Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysuru, Karnataka, India Received: 16 August 2020 Accepted: 02 October 2020 *Correspondence: Dr. Abhilash Shambulingegowda, E-mail: dr.abhilashs@yahoo.in Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20204636