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Objective: To determine if the success of paediatric tympanoplasty is dependent on certain criteria, which are determinable prior to surgery. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: An academic paediatric otolaryngology department. Patients: Seventy-seven patients who had undergone tympanoplasty with or without ossicular reconstruction, but without mastoidectomy, between April 1997 and May 1999. Main Outcome Measures: Status of the repaired tympanic membrane at last follow-up visit measured by otoscopic examination and with tympanometry. Results: Eighty-nine tympanoplasties were performed during this period. The age range was 2.9 to 22 years. The success rate was 75% overall. For patients younger than 11 years (n = 43), the success rate was 82%, and for those 11 to 18 years (n = 44), it was 74%, which was not significantly different. In 18 patients 7.5 years or younger, the success rate was 79%. Perforation location, size, presence of myringosclerosis, status of the other ear or nose, history of the perforation, surgical approach, middle ear findings, canal packing, and gender were not shown to be significantly different between successful and unsuccessful tympanoplasty groups. Conclusion: These young patients had a good success rate post-tympanoplasty, which we believe reflects less severe disease. These results mitigate against delaying tympanoplasty in young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]