The concept of an artificial tympanic membrane.

A review is given of the development of the concept of an artificial tympanic membrane. Starting with homologous tympanic membranes we compared biodegradable collagen materials (homologous and heterologous) and biodegradable synthetic materials, poly-glycolic acid, poly-lactic acid and poly-alpha-amino acids. As a non-degradable material microporous PTFE and bisphenol-A poly (carbonate) were investigated. It is concluded that either poly-alpha-amino acid or PTFE with poly-alpha-amino acid maybe a suitable material for an artificial tympanic membrane.