Table 3.

Comparison of postoperative complications between the two groups

Index	Traditional group n = 43	Modified group n = 37	χ2/Fisher’s exact	P
Infection (n, %)	6 (14.0%)	2 (5.4%)	2.462 (χ2)	0.117
Cerebrospinal fluid leakage (n, %)	3 (7.0%)	0 (0%)	2.693 (Fisher’s)	0.245
Hearing loss (n, %)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0%)	0.870 (Fisher’s)	1.000
Tinnitus (n, %)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0%)	0.870 (Fisher’s)	1.000
Facial paralysis (transient, n, %)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0%)	0.870 (Fisher’s)	1.000
Any Complication (n, %)*	10 (23.3%)	2 (5.4%)	5.560 (χ2)	0.018

“Any Complication” counts patients with at least one complication; some patients in the traditional group had multiple types of complications (total 12 instances in 10 patients). P-values for specific complications with zero counts in one group were calculated using Fisher’s exact test. The p-value for “Any Complication” indicates a statistically significant lower overall complication rate in the modified group

 *P<0.05