{"title":"An innovative corrective method: Reutilization of auricular fistula in microtia reconstruction.","authors":"Yiwen Deng, Jianguo Chen, Ben Wang, Yanlong Yang, Xiaobo Yu, Haiyue Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.jormas.2025.102311","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Auricular fistulas, typically excised due to infection risk, consist of intact skin and soft tissue when uninfected. A large fistula cavity with sufficient tissue coverage over cartilage and no infection during stable periods may be viable for reuse. This article explores using non-infected fistulas as soft tissue sources for microtia reconstruction.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Between January 2020 and October 2023, a total of 24 patients diagnosed with concha-type microtia were enrolled in this retrospective study. The correction of ear deformities is achieved by utilizing tissue harvested from the ear fistulas.Summarize the characteristic information of auricular fistula and the information on postoperative complications of auricular fistula. The ear morphology data(ear length and ear width) collected pre- and post-surgery, along with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) satisfaction scores and Aesthetic Outcomes Scale(AOS) ear aesthetic evaluations, were assessed for the patients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean follow-up duration for this study was 13.1 months.All patients included in this study were diagnosed with concha-type microtia. The auricular fistula was situated in the upper region of the auricle and opened onto the skin surface. The skin tissue surrounding the auricular fistula was abundant, and cartilage was present within the structure of the fistula. Postoperative follow-up indicated the absence of infection, flap necrosis, or any abnormal secretions. The postoperative measurements of ear length, width, and the difference in ear length and width between the two sides were all significantly improved compared to the preoperative measurements. The average preoperative AOS score was 1.2±0.4, and the average postoperative AOS score was 3.6±0.4. The preoperative VAS satisfaction score was 2.1±0.6, and the postoperative VAS score significantly increased to 8.0±0.8.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The larger preauricular fistula tissue in a stable, non-infected state can be used as a valuable skin source for microtia reconstruction. Utilizing auricular fistula tissue in concha-type microtia correction enhances the auricular aesthetics, reduces secondary local trauma, and improves patient satisfaction with the surgical outcome.</p>","PeriodicalId":56038,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Stomatology Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery","volume":" ","pages":"102311"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Stomatology Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jormas.2025.102311","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"Dentistry","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Auricular fistulas, typically excised due to infection risk, consist of intact skin and soft tissue when uninfected. A large fistula cavity with sufficient tissue coverage over cartilage and no infection during stable periods may be viable for reuse. This article explores using non-infected fistulas as soft tissue sources for microtia reconstruction.
Method: Between January 2020 and October 2023, a total of 24 patients diagnosed with concha-type microtia were enrolled in this retrospective study. The correction of ear deformities is achieved by utilizing tissue harvested from the ear fistulas.Summarize the characteristic information of auricular fistula and the information on postoperative complications of auricular fistula. The ear morphology data(ear length and ear width) collected pre- and post-surgery, along with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) satisfaction scores and Aesthetic Outcomes Scale(AOS) ear aesthetic evaluations, were assessed for the patients.
Results: The mean follow-up duration for this study was 13.1 months.All patients included in this study were diagnosed with concha-type microtia. The auricular fistula was situated in the upper region of the auricle and opened onto the skin surface. The skin tissue surrounding the auricular fistula was abundant, and cartilage was present within the structure of the fistula. Postoperative follow-up indicated the absence of infection, flap necrosis, or any abnormal secretions. The postoperative measurements of ear length, width, and the difference in ear length and width between the two sides were all significantly improved compared to the preoperative measurements. The average preoperative AOS score was 1.2±0.4, and the average postoperative AOS score was 3.6±0.4. The preoperative VAS satisfaction score was 2.1±0.6, and the postoperative VAS score significantly increased to 8.0±0.8.
Conclusion: The larger preauricular fistula tissue in a stable, non-infected state can be used as a valuable skin source for microtia reconstruction. Utilizing auricular fistula tissue in concha-type microtia correction enhances the auricular aesthetics, reduces secondary local trauma, and improves patient satisfaction with the surgical outcome.
期刊介绍:
J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg publishes research papers and techniques - (guest) editorials, original articles, reviews, technical notes, case reports, images, letters to the editor, guidelines - dedicated to enhancing surgical expertise in all fields relevant to oral and maxillofacial surgery: from plastic and reconstructive surgery of the face, oral surgery and medicine, … to dentofacial and maxillofacial orthopedics.
Original articles include clinical or laboratory investigations and clinical or equipment reports. Reviews include narrative reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
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Be written in excellent English, clear and easy to understand, precise and concise;
Bring new, interesting, valid information - and improve clinical care or guide future research;
Be solely the work of the author(s) stated;
Not have been previously published elsewhere and not be under consideration by another journal;
Be in accordance with the journal''s Guide for Authors'' instructions: manuscripts that fail to comply with these rules may be returned to the authors without being reviewed.
Under no circumstances does the journal guarantee publication before the editorial board makes its final decision.
The journal is indexed in the main international databases and is accessible worldwide through the ScienceDirect and ClinicalKey Platforms.