Surgery of the ear and pinna

Abstract

There are several disease processes of the ear and pinna that warrant surgical intervention. This article reviews surgical anatomy and common surgical procedures of the ear and pinna, including aural hematomas, lateral wall resection, vertical ear canal resection, total ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy, partial pinna resection, and feline inflammatory polyps. The clinical signs, diagnosis, and surgical treatment along with potential complications for each disease process are discussed.

A new operative technique for aural haematoma in dogs: A retrospective clinical study

“…An important drawback of certain techniques is the continuous irritation of the ear at the drain insertion sites as reported previously (Wilson, 1983;Lanz and Wood, 2004). Fully penetrating sutures and the sponge can irritate the skin nociceptors of the pinna.…”

“…The aim of any operative or conservative therapeutic pathway is to remove the accumulated blood from the pinna and prevent fluid development later on (Lanz and Wood, 2004;Brown, 2010). In this article we present a new surgical method to treat aural haematoma.…”

“…In summary, the aetiology of the disease is still highly elusive (Dubielzig et al, 1984;Cynthia, 2005). In the course of the disease serum or blood accumulates in the inner face of the auricle, inside the cartilage and between the cartilage and the skin as reported earlier (Lanz and Wood, 2004;Brown, 2010). In the absence of treatment a chronic callous fibrosis evolves, leading to a cauliflowerlike shrinkage of the pinna (Harvey et al, 2001).…”

“…In the absence of treatment a chronic callous fibrosis evolves, leading to a cauliflowerlike shrinkage of the pinna (Harvey et al, 2001). The aim of treatment is to remove blood and fibrin debris, to prevent infection, to eliminate the cavity of the haematoma and to inhibit the development of recurrent lesions (Lanz and Wood, 2004;Brown, 2010).…”

“…There are several different conservative and surgical methods to treat this disease including opening by operation and closing by pin sutures (Dávid et al, 2000), and its combination with a squeezing sponge (Lanz and Wood, 2004). In this method, after a sagittal opening of the inner auricle, split layers are stabilised by transient sutures performed on each side of the auricle parallel to the ear axis.…”