Comparative study of the effectiveness of the surgical technique with and without preservation of the conchal cartilage in otoplasty through the measure of the cephalo-auricular and scapho-conchal angles

Highlights

• Protruding ear can causes low self-esteem, leading patients to undergone otoplasty.

• Otoplasty with or without conchal preservation significantly reduce the deformity.

• Careful analysis of the auricular deformity to choose the best surgical technique.

• Eclectic technique with conchal remaining suture is effective for ear correction.

• No significant difference between otoplasty with and without conchal preservation.

Abstract

Objectives

Prominent ear abnormalities affect 5% of the population. A prospective, double-blind study of patients who underwent otoplasty procedures to correct these abnormalities was conducted to compare two surgical techniques. They diverge by the preservation or not of conchal cartilage.

Methods

The two techniques were compared by measuring the cephalo-auricular and scapho-conchal angles. Measurements were performed in pre and 6-months post-operative periods using alginate molding. Twenty patients were randomly assigned to two groups (with and without cartilage preservation) with 10 participants each. Student’s t-test, Covariance Analysis Model (ANCOVA), and non-parametric Mann-Whitney were used in the statistical analyses.

Results

A significant reduction in the average of the cephalo-auricular and scapho-conchal angles was observed in both surgical procedures (p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was found between them (p = 0.887).

Conclusion

The two techniques analyzed in this study fulfilled their objectives. Therefore, further comparative studies are needed to confirm the superiority of one over the other.

Level I

Evidence obtained from at least one properly designed randomized controlled trial.

Keywords
Otoplasty; Prominent ears; Measurement