Effects of early commercial air travel on graft healing rates after tympanoplasty

Objectives: We sought to determine whether commercial air travel soon after tympanoplasty significantly affects graft healing rates. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 169 patients who underwent tympanoplasty from 1993 to 2009, comparing two groups of patients: 69 patients who flew 1 day after surgery and 100 who did not. The confounding factors analyzed were side of surgery, size of perforation, surgical approach, graft material, and grafting technique. The primary outcome measure analyzed was successful closure of the perforation at the first follow-up visit, at 4 weeks, evidenced by direct otoendoscopic examination. Results: There was no significant difference in the confounding variables between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the primary outcome measure of graft healing rates between the two groups (p = 0.494). Additionally, the overall graft healing rates compared favorably with previously published data from other authors. Conclusions: Early commercial air travel after tympanoplasty does not significantly affect graft healing rates and should be considered a relatively safe option.