The tube tympanostomy, first used in 1952, has become the most frequently performed ear procedure. To our knowledge, no objective study of the complications of this procedure has been recorded. A review of complications of 838 tube tympanostomies that were performed from 1965 to 1967 at Duke University Medical Center and that had five to seven years of follow-up study showed that suppurative otitis media was the most common complication, followed in frequency by permanent perforations. This study indicates that there is minimal morbidity associated with this procedure.