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Neurological Regeneration pp 181–194Cite as

Stem Cells in the Management of Tympanic Membrane Perforation: An Update

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Part of the book series: Stem Cells in Clinical Applications ((SCCA))

Abstract

The management of tympanic membrane (TM) perforations by stem cells and biological molecules has gained increasing interest in the past decade. This is a 10 year review of the major cornerstones published on stem cells and their related products in affecting healing of major TM perforations.

Surgical methods, including paper patch and tympanoplasty through reconstruction with temporal muscle fascia and tragal cartilage, have been and still are the most common methods. However, recent methods using scaffolding materials like calcium alginate, silk and chitosan are being used along with harvested human TM cells. In the past 5 years, the use of biomolecules like basic fibroblast growth factors, hyaluronic acid, platelets derived growth factors and epidermal growth factors has gained a lot of clinical interest supported by experimental and clinical data.

Furthermore, the implication of stem cells in the healing of wounds, in general, and of tympanic perforations, in particular, has been documented since 2002. The high rate healing capacity of stem cells in the TM was reported through a series of studies using mesenchymal stem cells harvested from multiple sites of the ear.

Although most TM perforations heal spontaneously by self-healing or by surgical intervention, the tendency towards minimal invasive techniques is encouraged. The use of biomolecules, scaffolding materials and stem cells has offered promising results. Despite the positive results, stem cell therapy of TM perforations is still a very young field that needs further research.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Lebanese Health society for supporting this work and Miss Hanine Haidar for her assistance in finalizing this chapter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngolology, Head and Neck Surgery, Makassed General Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon

    Bassel El Baba

  2. Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

    Carole Barake & Abdo Jurjus

  3. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

    Roger Moukarbel

  4. Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Rosalyn Jurjus

  5. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Serkan Sertel

  6. Service d’oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-faciale, Bâtiment hospitalier CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Serkan Sertel

Authors
  1. Bassel El Baba
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  2. Carole Barake
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  3. Roger Moukarbel
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  4. Rosalyn Jurjus
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  5. Serkan Sertel
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  6. Abdo Jurjus
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abdo Jurjus .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Stem Cell Research and Application, University of Science Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Phuc Van Pham

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El Baba, B., Barake, C., Moukarbel, R., Jurjus, R., Sertel, S., Jurjus, A. (2017). Stem Cells in the Management of Tympanic Membrane Perforation: An Update. In: Pham, P. (eds) Neurological Regeneration. Stem Cells in Clinical Applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33720-3_11

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