Long-term middle ear ventilation with T tubes: The perforation problem

6, 12.0% to 16.7% in 3, and 47.5% in 1 study), with a mean of 11.5%. If we eliminate the lowest (3%) and the highest (47.5%) studies, the mean is 8.8%. This is significantly higher than the 0,5% to 2.0% perforation incidence reported for short-term tubes (although in some series the incidence is much higher). Although the reasons for the differences between series are not clear, some principles are evident that can be applied to achieve a low incidence of perforation.