Figure 3: Showing patient’s responses to Scar perception questions (NA- Not applicable)
In the post-aural group, 29 out of 30 (96%) patients were satisfied with the scar they have. Concerning scar preference in the post-aural group, 23 patients (77%) were not bothered about the scar while 7 patients (23%) preferred no scar. No patient (0%) altered hairstyle due to post aural scar. Scar visibility to others was reported as nil (0%). Merely 2 patients (7%) reported mild scar discomfort. 5 patients (17%) noted slight scar numbness which was non-intrusive. 3 patients indicated a slight change in ear position post-surgery, 2 patients were uncertain about post-surgery ear re-positioning, and 25 patients noted no change in ear position. Hearing aids were used by 11 out of 30 patients in the post-aural group; 1 patient reported minor issues wearing hearing aid and 10 out of 11 patients (91%) reported no issues with hearing aids. 6 out of 30 patients could move their ears prior to surgery using auricular muscles; where 3 out of 6 of those patients (50%) lost that ability post-surgery (See figure 3).
Time off work post-ear surgery : Standard hospital advice suggests approximately 2 weeks of work leave after ear surgery. For some patients, work leave was not reported due to memory lapse or either it was insignificant due to their roles (e.g., housewives, retirees, remote workers).
In the per-meatal group, 14 of 24 individuals had relevant work leave, averaging 13.7 days (1 day to 6 weeks). Among them, 5 followed the advice with 2 full weeks off, 5 returned sooner, and 4 needed more than 2 weeks off.
In the post-aural group, 23 of 30 were relevant, with an average leave of 13.4 days. 8 returned early, 7 took full 2 weeks, and 8 needed over 2 weeks off.
Comparison of Permeatal vs. Post-aural approaches using the COMBI questionnaire :
Overall, the statistical analysis indicates that there are variations in patient perceptions and experiences between the per-meatal (PA) and post-aural (PM) tympanoplasty techniques across different dimensions assessed by the Chronic Otitis Media Benefit Inventory (COMBI) questionnaire. However, these variations appear to be relatively subtle, and in all cases (12 questions), the differences between the two groups are not statistically significant.