Surgical time
The surgical time for VTI in children was shorter than in adults (pediatric group, 11.7 min; adult group, 19.1 min; p<0.05). Because the procedure was performed under local anesthesia in adults; the injection of the local anesthesia in the ear canal may account for the longer surgical time. (Table 3)
The average surgical time for tympanoplasty was 89.6 min in all cases and was longer in the pediatric patients than in the adult patients (pediatric group, 118 min; adult group, 86.6 min; p<0.05). (Table 3)
Our study results revealed that the surgical time for tympanoplasty was significantly longer in the pediatric patients than in the adult patients. Children’s ear canals are narrower than those of adults at the orifice and isthmus, which increases the difficulty of endoscopic transcanal manipulation; these factors may have also increased the surgical time [21]. However, the average surgical time in the pediatric group still fell within satisfactory limits.
The management of cholesteatoma required the longest surgical time (average of all cases, 156 min); this was not surprising due to it being a more sophisticated procedure. However, no difference was observed between the pediatric and adult groups with regard to the surgical time (pediatric group, 158.3 min; adult group, 155.6 min; p=0.897). (Table 3)
In the treatment of cholesteatoma, no statistically significant difference was found between these two groups with respect to surgical time because the TEES management of cholesteatoma is quite a sophisticated and complicated procedure in both children and adults; therefore, it generally has a longer surgical time regardless of the group.