Objectives
The primary aim and an important step in chronic otitis media (COM)
surgery are to repair the tympanic membrane (TM) [1] . The two most
widely used graft materials in tympanoplasty are temporal fascia (TF)
and cartilage graft (CG), and it is now recognized that graft
performance and hearing outcomes are comparable, but CG is superior in
ears with poor prognostic features [1, 2]. Tos reviewed 23 different
cartilage tympanoplasty methods according to the indications in 2008
[3]. New cartilage graft designs with successful results continue to
report in the literature due to the easy harvesting and application of
cartilage grafts [4, 5]. Cartilage graft techniques, different
designs, and indications were discussed in two comprehensive systematic
review by Tos and Yung [3, 6]. Studies involving new cartilage graft
techniques in the literature are mostly in the form of case-control
studies or technical reports, and multiple comparative analyzes are very
rare. WsCCG technique is a new modification and designed to adapt to
tympanic membrane structure and avoiding retraction pockets. Successful
results of the WsCCG according to the TF graft technique have been
reported previously [5]. Therefore, this research aims to compare
the graft success and audiological results of the most experienced and
valid techniques (palisade cartilage graft: PCG and island cartilage
graft: ICG) with the wheel-shaped composite cartilage graft (WsCCG)
method.