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Half-thickness tragal cartilage slicing improves the sound transmission properties in endoscopic myringoplasty among Egyptians

Purpose: To compare full and half thickness tragal cartilage in endoscopic myringoplasty by using cartilage slicer. 
Patients and Methods: This study was conducted at the ENT Department at Minia University Hospital and included 32 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media attending the E.N.T. outpatient clinic. The Patients were divided into two groups, 16 patients were included in group A, where a half thickness tragal cartilage graft was used and 16 patients included in group B where a full thickness tragal cartilage graft was used for myringoplasty. Underlay graft technique was used in all cases by endoscopic assisted transcanal myringoplasty. 
Result: The graft was taken in 30 patients, 15 in each, so the graft takes up rate is 93.8% in both groups. Difference in hearing gain was not statistically significant between the two groups, except at 4,000 Hz; where hearing gain in half thickness tragal cartilage (Group A) is more than full thickness tragal cartilage (Group B). For both groups, hearing gain was more at 250, 500 Hz than at1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 Hz frequencies. 
Conclusion:  Our data show that slicing of the tragal cartilage into half (0.5mm) is suitable to improve the sound transmission properties of the reconstructed tympanic membrane in comparison to the full thickness tragal cartilage (1.0 mm).