Recovery time for most patients is about 4 months. During this time many people will experience nighttime pain, stiffness, popping, catching, and feelings of tightness. All of that is normal! In fact, most people continue to experience symptoms for up to a year from the time of surgery.
Normal appearance of the tympanic membrane. (Figures 1, 2, and 3 courtesy of Janet Griffin, MD, Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Ohio.) Acute otitis media with effusion. The tympanic membrane is injected but landmarks are still clearly visualized. Acute otitis media. The tympanic membrane is bulging and hyperemic, and yellow purulent fluid is seen in the middle ear space.
When a tympanic membrane perforation persists, the middle ear is unprotected and is vulnerable to infection. When a perforation is present, the ear canal must be kept dry. Repair of the tympanic membrane perforation reinstates the protective barrier to the middle ear, and in some cases can also improve hearing.Tympanoplasty is a microsurgery that uses a patient's own tissues to reconstruct the tympanic membrane.epair of the tympanic membrane perforation reinstates the protective barrier to the middle ear, and in some cases can also improve hearing. Tympanoplasty is a microsurgery that uses a patient's own tissues to reconstruct the tympanic membrane.