Background: As tympanotomy using the transcanal approach was a routine surgical technique for traumatic ossicular disruption, the efficacy of the posterior tympanum approach was rarely explored.
Aim: This study aimed to investigate whether the hearing outcomes improved after simultaneous ossiculoplasty and facial nerve decompression using the posterior tympanum approach compared with the transcanal approach.
Material and methods: The data of 11 patients who underwent ossiculoplasty and facial nerve decompression using the posterior tympanum approach and 21 patients who underwent ossiculoplasty via transcannal approach were analyzed.
Results: The average air-bone gap (ABG) of patients undergoing posterior tympanotomy showed a statistically significant improvement. Postoperative ABG within 20 dB was observed in 81.8% of patients in the posterior tympanum group and 76.2% of patients in the transcanal group. However, the ABG closure in the two groups was not statistically different.
Conclusions and significance: Simultaneous ossiculoplasty using the posterior tympanum approach was practical, and the hearing outcomes were promising for the patients with traumatic facial nerve paralysis and ossicular disruption.
Keywords: Traumatic ossicular disruption; facial nerve injuries; posterior tympanotomy; surgical timing.