Postoperative Pain Following a Retroauricular Approach Versus a Transcanal Approach in Tympanoplasty Type 1: A 14-Day Retrospective Study

<b>Objectives</b>: This study aimed to determine whether the surgical approach used significantly affected postoperative pain and quality of life. <b>Methods</b>: This retrospective study included 45 adult patients undergoing type I tympanoplasty for chronic tympanic membrane perforation. The patients were divided into two groups: transcanal (n = 24) and retroauricular (n = 21). Postoperative pain was assessed using the Wong-Baker FACES^® Pain Rating Scale. Additional outcomes included analgesic use and activity limitation. <b>Results</b>: The graft success rates in the transcanal and retroauricular groups were 95.8% and 95.2%, respectively. The transcanal group reported significantly lower pain scores between postoperative days 5 and 8 (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and discontinued analgesic use earlier (mean 3.1 versus 4.3 days; <i>p</i> < 0.05). Furthermore, the transcanal group had fewer activity limitation events during recovery. Operative time was significantly shorter in the transcanal group (55.4 ± 10.1 versus 90.2 ± 10.6 min; <i>p</i> < 0.001). No major complications were observed in either group. <b>Conclusions</b>: A transcanal approach is associated with reduced postoperative pain, earlier recovery, and shorter analgesic use than a retroauricular approach in tympanoplasty type I.