Hearing results after type III tympanoplasty: incus transposition versus PORP. A systematic review

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare hearing improvements in the air-bone gap (ABG) after type III tympanoplasties, comparing between incus transposition (IT) and partial ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP). Materials and methods: Publications in English were searched in PUBMED database and were systematically reviewed. A total of 14 articles were included, obtaining 1055 patients, 614 for the IT group and 441 for the PORP group. Preoperative ABG, postoperative ABG, dB gain and ABG closure rate were compared. Results: IT group: preoperative ABG of 31.74 dB (SD 10.51); postoperative ABG of 18.97 dB (SD 10.6); dB gain of 12.76 dB (SD 14.97); and ABG closure rate of 64.48%. PORP group: preoperative ABG of 28.02 dB (SD 10.47); postoperative ABG of 16.27 dB (SD 10.45); dB gain of 11.75 (SD 15.02); and ABG closure rate of 71.32%. No significant statistical difference was found in dB mean gain between groups (p > .05), although a difference was found in the ABG closure rate between groups favouring PORP series (p < 3.05). Conclusion: An improvement in hearing results was observed within both groups after type III tympanoplasty. There is no difference in decibels gained between both ossiculoplasty materials, but a better closure rate (%) was observed in the PORP group.