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Eardrum repair - series—Procedure

Procedure

Overview

While the patient is deep asleep and pain-free, (general anesthesia), the surgeon grafts a small patch from the fascia of the forehead muscle (temporalis) onto the eardrum. This graft is used to repair the tear.

For problems with the small bones (ossicles), the surgeon will use an operating microscope to view and repair the chain of small bones using plastic devices or ossicles from a donor.

Review Date 5/30/2022

Updated by: Josef Shargorodsky, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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