Impact of diabetes mellitus on tympanic membrane healing after fully endoscopic tympanoplasty

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is known to impair wound healing in various tissues. However, its impact on tympanic membrane (TM) healing following tympanoplasty remains controversial. While clinical studies generally suggest that DM does not affect the final TM closure rate, animal experiments indicate it may significantly prolong healing time. This study aims to systematically investigate the correlation between diabetic status and perioperative glycemic control levels with tympanic membrane healing time following tympanoplasty, thereby enhancing the understanding of the impact of diabetes on outcomes in otologic surgery. METHODS: This study included 88 patients who underwent fully endoscopic tympanoplasty, comprising 34 patients with diabetes and 54 non-diabetic patients. Among the diabetic patients, 20 had well-controlled blood glucose and 14 had poorly controlled blood glucose preoperatively. Patients were followed up regularly postoperatively. The correlation between TM healing time and both diabetic status and perioperative glycemic control was analyzed. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that, provided perioperative glycemic targets are met, the surgical outcomes of fully endoscopic tympanoplasty in diabetic patients are comparable to those in non-diabetic patients. Diabetes is not an independent risk factor for prolonged tympanic membrane healing time following totally endoscopic tympanoplasty.