Tympanoplasty (Eardrum Repair) in Delhi

A hole in the eardrum — from long-standing infection or an injury — leaves the ear prone to repeated discharge and reduced hearing. Tympanoplasty repairs the eardrum, giving you a dry, safe ear and usually better hearing. At Sama Hospital — a NABH-accredited, doctor-owned hospital in South Delhi — it is often done through the ear canal with no external cut, as day-care surgery.

The eardrum is a thin membrane that seals the middle ear and vibrates to carry sound. A perforation — a hole — both lets infection in and reduces hearing. Tympanoplasty patches the hole with a graft of your own tissue, and, where the tiny hearing bones behind the drum are damaged, reconstructs them.

• Recurring or persistent discharge from the ear
• Reduced hearing on that side
• A blocked or full feeling in the ear
• Infection every time water gets in — making swimming and even bathing a problem

Two clear reasons:

A safe, dry ear. A permanent hole lets water and germs reach the middle ear, so it keeps getting infected. Closing it lets you bathe and swim normally and stops the cycle of discharge.

Better hearing. Sealing the drum restores the vibrating surface that carries sound, and hearing usually improves.

Some small perforations heal by themselves and can simply be watched. Ones that will not heal, or that keep getting infected, are the ones to repair.

The hole is closed with a graft of your own tissue. Many perforations — especially smaller ones — are repaired entirely through the ear canal, with no external incision. Larger or trickier ones may need a small, well-hidden cut behind or in front of the ear. Where the hearing bones are also damaged, they are reconstructed at the same time. Day-care or a single overnight stay.

The first aim of tympanoplasty is a safe, dry ear. Improved hearing is important but comes second — and how much it improves depends on your ear. If only the drum needs repair, the hearing result is usually good. If the hearing bones are also involved and need reconstructing, the outcome is less predictable. We will give you an honest expectation for your particular ear rather than a blanket promise.

Home the same day or the next. The graft heals over several weeks, during which the ear must be kept completely dry — no swimming, and care when bathing. Desk work in about a week. Hearing is formally reassessed at around three months.

What moves the figure: whether the eardrum alone is repaired or the hearing bones are reconstructed as well; the surgical approach; anaesthesia; and length of stay.

We quote an all-inclusive package, confirmed after clinical assessment, with cashless treatment available for eligible insurance patients. See our cost estimate page.

Doctor-owned, NABH-accredited, in South Delhi since 1982, with ENT surgeons named on this page. A small perforation that is likely to heal on its own will be watched, not rushed to surgery.

To stop the repeated infections a hole allows, and to improve hearing. A permanent hole lets water and germs into the middle ear. Some small perforations heal on their own; ones that do not, or that keep getting infected, are repaired.

It usually improves, and where only the drum is repaired the result is often good. If the hearing bones also need reconstructing, it is less predictable. The first aim is always a safe, dry ear.

Not always — many perforations are repaired entirely through the ear canal with no external cut. Larger ones may need a small, well-hidden incision.

Home the same day or next; the ear must be kept dry for several weeks while the graft heals; desk work in about a week; hearing reassessed at three months.

A dry, stable hole may only cause some hearing loss. But a persistently discharging ear reflects ongoing infection that can, over years, damage the hearing bones or lead to a cholesteatoma. It should be assessed rather than lived with.