Tympanoplasty
Pediatric tympanoplasty is a procedure performed to repair a perforated eardrum in a child’s ear. An eardrum perforation is simply a hole in the eardrum (tympanic membrane). The eardrum is a thin membrane deep in our ear canal. This membrane vibrates when sound waves hit it and helps transfer sound energy into the inner ear which allows us to hear. A hole in the eardrum can come from a bad ear infection, a surgical procedure like placement of an ear tube, or from trauma such as a Q-tip® jabbed deep inside the ear canal (one of many reasons to avoid using any cotton swab to clean your ears!) Tympanoplasty surgery is a common way to repair the perforation, if necessary.