ObjectiveTo explore the method and therapeutic effect of localized myringectomy for the treatment of localized tympanic membrane atelectasis after balloon eustachian tuboplasty (BET).Methods16 patients (16 ears) of secretory otitis media with localized tympanic membrane atelectasis were enrolled. Of them, 9 were male and 7 were female, aged from 24 to 48 years old. They had all previous drug therapy, tympanocentesis or tympanostomy tube insertion followed by BET due to relapse. Followup evaluation at 6 months after BET revealed secretory otitis media with localized tympanic membrane atelectasis in all of them. Endotoscopic localized myringectomy was applied to them. They were followed up for 6 months postoperatively to evaluate the status of tympanic membrane, symptom of ear fullness and puretone average airbone gap.ResultsFollowup at the first month after myringectomy showed intact tympanic membrane without retraction or perforation in all the cases except slight thinness of the resected region in some patients. The symptom of ear fullness and the airbone gap got improved significantly. The average score of ear fullness reduced from a preoperative level of (6.4±1.3) to a postoperative level of (1.2±0.8), while the average airbone gap reduced from the preoperative (13.2±4.3)dB to the postoperative (4.6±3.2)dB. The difference between the preoperative and postoperative scores, as well as that between the airbone gaps were both statistically significant (both P<0.05), while the differences between the postoperative results at the first month and those at the sixth month were both statistically insignificant (both P>0.05). No recurrence occurred at the sixth month after myringectomy.ConclusionLocalized myringectomy is a minimally invasive and effective method for the treatment of localized tympanic membrane atelectasis after BET.