A critique on the reporting of results in tympanoplasty should first explore the purpose of such reports. A few reasons come readily to mind. The report may describe a new procedure whose outcome will be compared with that of other procedures. The study may replicate a previously published method and be intended to corroborate or refute those results. In rare instances the report is for the purpose of updating the results on the same patient group over a significatnly longer span of time to document the stability of the procedure. The essential feature of each of these is to provide data which can be meaningfully compared with that in other reports. How best to accomplish this is the purpose of this article.
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