Tympanum reconstruction using a sternocleidomastoid flap in patients with lateral skull base lesions: surgical technique and clinical report

Abstract Background During surgical treatment of lesions involving the skull base, conductive hearing is often sacrificed due to tympanum destruction. This study aimed to develop a method for tympanum reconstruction using a sternocleidomastoid (SCM) flap to preserve conductive hearing during lateral skull base surgery. Methods This study included five patients with lateral skull base lesions who underwent surgery including tympanum reconstruction with an SCM flap between July 2015 and November 2017. Results Three patients seen with facial nerve schwannoma, and two had paraganglioma of the head and neck. All patients' inferior and posterior tympanic walls were resected; the tympanum and ossicular chain were reconstructed with an SCM flap and prosthesis. The mean postoperative air‐bone gap was 14 dB. No lesion recurrences were observed until the last follow‐up. Conclusion The SCM flap is effective in preserving conductive hearing through reconstruction of the inferior and posterior tympanic walls in lateral skull base surgery.