Correct Answer: B. Myringoplasty
Myringoplasty is the definitive surgical management for a chronic central tympanic membrane perforation with conductive hearing loss. A central perforation (not involving the tympanic annulus) is amenable to repair because the perforation margins are accessible and the ossicular chain is typically intact. The procedure restores the acoustic barrier function of the tympanum, halts chronic drainage, and restores conductive hearing. In Indian clinical practice, myringoplasty is the gold standard for uncomplicated central perforations, performed via transcanal approach using temporalis fascia or cartilage grafts. The conductive hearing loss will resolve once the tympanic membrane integrity is restored and ossicular continuity is confirmed. This is a definitive, curative approach rather than symptomatic management, making it the most appropriate next step after confirming the diagnosis with otoscopy and audiometry.
Why the other options are wrong
A. Exploratory tympanostomy — Exploratory tympanostomy is a diagnostic procedure used when ossicular chain integrity is uncertain or when there is suspicion of ossicular discontinuity (e.g., in traumatic perforations or chronic suppurative otitis media with ossicular erosion). In this case, otoscopy and audiometry have already established the diagnosis of a central perforation with conductive hearing loss; exploration is unnecessary and delays definitive repair. This is a diagnostic trap—NBE may include it to test whether students confuse diagnostic procedures with definitive management. C. Immediate commencement of broad-spectrum oral antibiotics — Antibiotics address the infection/drainage symptomatically but do not repair the structural defect. While topical antibiotics may be used as adjunctive therapy to control drainage before surgery, oral broad-spectrum antibiotics alone cannot close a perforation or restore hearing. This represents symptomatic rather than definitive management and is appropriate only as a bridge to surgery or in acute suppurative otitis media—not for chronic central perforations requiring structural repair. D. Modified radical mastoidectomy — Modified radical mastoidectomy is reserved for extensive chronic suppurative otitis media with marginal or attic perforations, ossicular erosion, and cholesteatoma—not for uncomplicated central perforations. This procedure is more aggressive and destructive than necessary for a central perforation and carries higher morbidity. NBE may include this to test whether students confuse the extent of disease; central perforations are managed conservatively with myringoplasty, not mastoidectomy.
High-Yield Facts
- Central perforation of tympanum (not involving annulus) is amenable to myringoplasty with high success rates (>90%) in Indian tertiary centres.
- Myringoplasty restores acoustic barrier, halts chronic drainage, and reverses conductive hearing loss by restoring tympanic membrane integrity.
- Conductive hearing loss in central perforations resolves after successful myringoplasty if ossicular chain is intact (confirmed by exploratory tympanostomy if needed intraoperatively).
- Temporalis fascia or cartilage are the graft materials of choice for myringoplasty in Indian ENT practice; fascia is preferred for central perforations.
- Transcanal approach is the standard route for myringoplasty in uncomplicated central perforations; postauricular approach reserved for revision cases or marginal perforations.
Mnemonics
CPM Rule Central perforation → Myringoplasty; Marginal perforation → Mastoidectomy. Central = simple repair; Marginal = complex disease. GRAFT mnemonic for perforation repair Graft material (fascia/cartilage), Route (transcanal), Approach (underlay/overlay), Functional outcome (hearing restoration), Timing (elective, after infection controlled).
NBE Trap
NBE pairs "chronic drainage + perforation" with antibiotics to trap students who confuse symptomatic management with definitive repair. The key discriminator is that a structural defect requires surgical closure, not antimicrobial therapy alone.
Clinical Pearl
In Indian outpatient ENT practice, a patient with chronic ear drainage and central perforation should be counselled that myringoplasty is curative and can be performed as a day-care procedure under local anaesthesia in many centres. Delaying surgery with antibiotics alone risks recurrent infections and permanent conductive hearing loss, particularly in children who need normal hearing for speech development.
_Reference: Bailey & Love Ch. 63 (Otology); Hazarika et al. (Indian ENT textbook) Ch. 12_