Hearing Results and Post Surgical Outcomes Using Amniotic Membrane Allograft vs. Fascia for Tympanoplasty

A prospective randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Eligible patients will be identified, recruited and randomized to receive either repair using the standard fascia graft or repair using the Skye ActiveBarrier. Subjects will undergo a preoperative evaluation followed by TM repair and subsequent regular office visits to assess functional outcomes, complications, and satisfaction. Patients will be blinded to the substrate used for their repair. As there are two different approaches for a tympanoplasty (through the ear canal or incision behind the ear) based on the subject's ear anatomy and location of the perforation, a sham surgery will not be necessary to disguise which graft is received. At follow up visits, photos may be taken of patients' TMs and these photos will be evaluated for healing by an otologist who did not conduct the surgery in a blinded fashion. At the 1 year follow up appointment, subjects will be told which substrate they received and at the study's conclusion subjects will notified about the study's findings.