Int J Dent Med Res | MAR- APR 2015 | VOL 1 | ISSUE 6 47 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Sharma M et al: Dry versus Wet Myringoplasty Correspondence to: Dr. Manish Sharma, Senior Resident, Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, Government Medical College, Jammu. Dry versus Wet Myringoplasty: Our Experience Manish Sharma 1 , Padam Singh 2 , Mohit Goel 3 , Deepak Kotwal 4 , Megha Kapoor 5 Introduction: Conducting a myringoplasty in wet ear or dry ear, had been a matter of controversy during past many years because of its different success rates in different studies. Materials and methods: This study was conducted over a period of one year to find out graft take up rate in dry and wet myringoplasty and to look for complications both in dry and wet cases during the follow up period. The study comprised of 52 patients with dry and wet myringoplasty. Out of these 52 patients, 4 cases (2 from dry and 2 from wet) had to be excluded from the study because of the lack of follow up. So ultimate analysis in this study was done for 48 cases. The selected patients were subjected to clinical, audiological, radiological and laboratorial investigations. Myringoplasty was done in all patients via postaural approach using temporalis fascia graft. Intactness of drum, hearing assessment and presence of any complication was noted during the follow up period. Results: Initial examination in dry ears postoperatively at 3 wks showed normal healed tympanic membrane in 22 cases (78.56%), whereas 6 cases (21.43%) were having residual perforation. Out of 6 perforations, 1 perforation healed spontaneously and 1 by chemical cauterization. So, overall graft uptake rate in dry ears was 85.71% at 3 months whereas in wet ears at 3 wks showed intact tympanic membrane in 12 cases (60%) whereas 8 cases (40%) were having residual perforation. Out of 8 perforations, 2 healed with chemical cauterization and 1 closed spontaneously. So, overall graft uptake rate in wet ears was 75% at 3 months follow up. Conclusion: Air-bone gap deterioration was seen more commonly in wet than in dry ears and graft take-up rate is higher in dry ears (85.72%) as compared to wet ears (75%). KEYWORDS: Central perforation, Chronic suppurative otitis media, Dry ear, Myringoplasty, Wet ear AaaAA Myringoplasty is an operation limited to the repair of tympanic membrane defects without exploration of the middle ear cleft. The success rate of graft depends on many factors, and nobody can claim 100% success in every operation. 1 Various factors influencing the success of myringoplasty reported in the literature are patients age, site of perforation, condition of the ear (dry or discharging) , status of the contralateral ear, grafting material, surgical techniques and associated pathologies like adenoiditis, tonsillitis and sinusitis. Myringoplasty can be performed on dry or wet perforations. Dry central perforations mean ear should be dry for at least six weeks, tympanic membrane remnant should be of normal colour, middle ear mucosa and tympanic plexus should be normal and wet perforations mean congestion of drum remnant, congestion of middle ear mucosa, presence of discharge in middle ear, polypoidal or mucosal hypertrophy of middle ear mucosa obscuring the view of tympanic plexus. 2 The present data was collected to compare the success rates of myringoplasty in dry and wet ears. This study was conducted in the Department of ENT & Head and Neck Surgery, SMGS Hospital, Government Medical College, Jammu, during the year 2013 to 2014, to find out graft take up rate in dry and wet myringoplasty and to look for complications both in dry and wet cases during the follow-up period. The study comprised of 52 patients with dry and wet myringoplasty. Out of these 52 patients, 4 cases (2 from dry and 2 from wet) were excluded from the study because of the lack of follow-up. The ultimate analysis in this study was done in 48 cases. The patients were selected on the basis of following criteria.  Inclusion criteria for wet ears: Congestion of drum remnant, congestion of middle ear mucosa, presence of a discharge in the middle ear and polypoidal or mucosal hypertrophy of middle ear mucosa obscuring the view of tympanic plexus.  Inclusion criteria for dry ears: The ear should be dry for at least six weeks, tympanic membrane remnants should be of normal colour and middle ear mucosa and tympanic plexus should be normal. How to cite this article: Sharma M, Singh P, Goel M, Kotwal D, Kapoor M. Dry versus Wet Myringoplasty: Our Experience. Int J Dent Med Res 2015;1(6):47-50. INTRODUCTION 1- Senior Resident, Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, Government Medical College, Jammu. 2- Associate Professor, Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, Government Medical College, Jammu. 3,4- Post Graduate in Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, Government Medical College, Jammu. 5- Post Graduate in Department of Physiology, Santosh Medical College, Ghaziabad, U.P. ABSTRACT MATERIALS AND MEHODS