Surgical Treatment of Prominent Ear: 5-Year Clinical Experience in 108 Patients

Abstract

Objective: Prominent ear is a congenital ear deformity that is commonly seen in society and has psychosocial effects. A prominent ear deformity can be due to antihelical fold underdevelopment, concave structure overdevelopment, and lobule overgrowth. Material and Method: In total, 108 patients who underwent autoplasty at our clinic between October 2010 and October 2015 were retrospectively evaluated. These patients were comprised of 63 women and 45 men between the ages of five and 42 years (average age, 18.4 years). Among the 108 patients, 105 had a bilateral prominent ear and three had a unilateral prominent ear. Results: Cephaloauricular angle measurements of patients before the operation ranged from 46 to 57-degree. The median cephaloauricular angle was 51-degree. The recorded upper pole-to-mastoid distance ranged from 15 to 27 mm. The median upper pole-to-mastoid distance was 20 mm. After the operation, the median upper pole-to-mastoid distance was 12 mm. The postoperative median cephaloauricular angle was 27-degree. The average follow-up duration was 18.4 months (range, 3-24 months). Two patients developed hematoma in the early postoperative period. In the late postoperative period, one patient had suture exposition, one had recurrence, six had cold intolerance, one had a bad scar, and one had a telephone ear deformity. Conclusion: Today, autoplasty is one of the most commonly practiced aesthetic operations performed by plastic surgeons. Favorable results can be achieved in remedying the anatomical problems when proper problem-oriented surgical treatments are used. In particular, in early aged patients, it is known that good cosmetic results and important psychological improvement are provided by these procedures.