Risks and Complications of  Tympanoplasty and Mastoid Surgery

Infection can develop following surgery with associated pain, fever, or drainage. This may require antibiotics or re-opening the wound to treat the infection. Rarely, the infection may spread to the inner ear, causing hearing loss, or to the other structures. Fortunately, brain infections as a consequence of ear infection occur extremely rare due to the use of antibiotics.

Bleeding may result from any surgical procedure causing a collection of blood in the tissue. Occasionally, this collection must be removed to prevent infection and speed healing.

Anesthesia Risk is minimal for healthy patients. General anesthesia, if you choose to be asleep for the surgery, will be discussed with you by your anesthesiologist.

Hearing Loss occurs in approximately 3% of patients. Half of the time improvement can be made with hearing devices. In the remainder, the loss is complete and permanent. If the reconstructive process requires two operations, we expect hearing to be worse than before the first surgery until the final procedure is accomplished.

Tinnitus (spontaneous noise in the ears or head) may improve, remain unchanged, or worsen following the surgery.

Taste Changes after surgery are not uncommon and are usually transient. Prolonged symptoms occasionally occur.

Facial Paralysis rarely occurs after surgery. The majority of the time, the weakness is temporary and improves over weeks or months. Very rarely, the nerve may be injured during the procedure or nerve removal is necessary for eradication of disease. In such cases, the nerve may need to be replaced with a skin sensation nerve from the upper neck. Movement returns in 8-12 months but is less than normal. Eye complications from the loss of the blink reflex can occur during this time, and treatment for their prevention may be needed.

Dizziness following surgery is due to inflammation of the inner ear structures and is rarely a problem. Prolonged dizziness is extremely rare.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak (leakage of fluid from around the brain) is an extremely rare complication of mastoid surgery that may require reoperation for repair.

Prosthesis Displacement or Extrusion may occur in a small minority of patients who require placement of an implant for repair of the middle ear structures. In this case, reoperation may be necessary to reform the appropriate reconstruction.