Evaluation of the effects of vitamin C on tympanic graft repair in tympanoplasty

Vitamin C has proved to be an influential factor in wound repair and previous studies showed that it can accelerate the repair of surgical incisions and bed wounds and cornea burns. In this study the effect of vitamin C in the success of tympanic graft repair applying underlay technique and by means of tympanic membrane muscle was evaluated. In this clinical trial study which carried in 2002-2003, 60 patients referring to the ENT ward of Imam Reza Hospital- affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences- demanding voluntary tympanoplasty, were examined. The clients were randomly divided into two groups case and control, each with 30 individuals. After tympanoplasty the case group took oral vitamin C for one month, but the control group received placebo. The patients were then followed up for three years. Preoperative and postoperative condition of tympanum and audiometry results in the two groups were compared (2.5 months and 3 years later). The obtained data were analysed by means of SPSS software, using paired t-test at the significant level P≤0.05. Respectively, 86.7 and 83.3% of the case group and control group had successful tympanoplasty. vitamin C did not have any effect on the success of tympanoplasty in the case group compared with the control group. But, it had a significant impact on their audiometry scores in comparison with the control (P≤0.01). According to the study, vitamin C administration had no effect on successful tympanoplasty. But, it improved hearing status.