THE CONVENIENCE of having a packaged, commercially available material suitable for closure of tympanic membrane defects is attractive indeed.
Interest in homologous and heterologous tissues for closure of drum perforations is increasing. Such materials can be obtained, sterilized, and stored for future usage, thus lending themselves to the possibility of preparation on a large scale. Homologous cornea,1 peritoneum,2 pericardium,3 vein,4-6 and dura7 have been used. Tympanic membrane homotransplant8,9 has been carried out. Few reports of tympanic closure with heterologous materials are extant. Cargile's membrane (sheep mesentery) has been used.10,11
Recent evidence12 indicates that dehydrated temporalis fascia, as used for tympanic membrane grafting, is nonviable. This lends support to the hope that an exogenous biological material may be found which is suitable for drum closure. The desire to find such a material motivated this study.
Materials and Methods
The collagen film utilized in