Tympanoplasty Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

Complications are rare, but no procedure is completely free of risk. If you are planning to have a tympanoplasty, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Infection
• Failure to restore hearing
• Damage to structures in or near the middle ear:

• Nerves—resulting in loss or distortion of taste, paralysis of the face
• Middle ear bones—resulting in loss of hearing that may be permanent or require further surgery
• Inner ear structures—resulting in dizziness

Call Your Doctor

After arriving home, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Increasing fluid or foul-smelling fluid draining from the ear
• Redness, swelling, increased pain, bleeding, or discharge from the incision site
• Dizziness
• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given
• Cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain
• Any new symptoms

In case of an emergency, CALL 911.