Q: I have been diagnosed with perforations in both my eardrums. The doctor has suggested tympanoplasty. He says that the surgery can be done within 2 hours for both the ears and I can discharged on the same day. I took a second opinion, in which case the doctor told me that it takes 5-6 hours for both ears, but it is advisable to get the other ear operated after a gap of 3 months. Does the surgery take 5-6 hours, and is it advisable to get both ears operated at a time?

A:A tympanoplasty (repair of the middle ear structures including the ear drum), is the definitive treatment for a perforated ear drum. This operation can be carried out under local or general anaesthesia and may take one to two hours. It is usually advised to have only one ear operated at one time, and to have a gap of 3 to 6 months between operations. Basically, once the first ear has healed fully, the second operation may be carried out .