Gunstige resultaten en waardering van M-meatoplastiek bij patiënten met een anterieur geplaatst cavum conchae en daardoor veroorzaakte cerumenretentie en otitis externa

To determine the results of an M-meatoplasty in patients with narrowing of the lateral part of the outer ear canal caused by anterior placement of the cavum conchae cartilage with ensuing wax retention and otitis externa.

Design

Retrospective analysis of visits to the outpatients' clinic and prospective analysis of patient satisfaction.

Method

The M-meatoplasty (modified Y-V-plasty) aims at increasing the lumen of the entrance to the external ear canal by reducing the frontal edge of the conchal cartilage and by suturing the skin in a way that widens the opening. From October 1994 till October 1997, 199 successive M-meatoplasties (125 patients) were performed in a non-academic hospital functioning as a secondary referral centre. The number of visits to the outpatients’ clinic before the operation and from three months after the operation onwards were compared retrospectively. After the operation, the patients received a questionnaire to determine their satisfaction with the procedures and the outcomes on a ten-point scale from 1 (very poor) to 10 (excellent).

Results

The median number of visits was 7 (range: 1-153) pre-operatively and 1 (range: 0-14) from three months after surgery onwards (p ≤ 0,5; χ²-test). Seventy-nine percent of the patients completed the questionnaire. The patients rated the surgery and final results as very good (median score of 9 on the scale of 1-10).

Conclusions

The problems of wax obstruction and related external otitis can be solved by an M-meatoplasty if the frontal edge of the conchal cartilage is too prominent. It is a simple outpatient operation, which is very well tolerated by patients. After the operation, the number of visits to the outpatients' clinic was greatly reduced.