Otoplasty with underdevelopment of the antihelix in children

Purpose - to develop a method of otoplasty in children with underdevelopment of the antihelix. Materials and methods. Otoplasty in our own way in case of underdevelopment of the antihelix was performed in 47 children (30 girls and 17 boys) aged from 6 to 16 years. All patients had bilateral deformity. The postoperative follow-up period was to 5 years. Results. Otoplasty in children with underdevelopment of the antihelix was performed by our own method, which included detachment of the skin on the posterior and anterior surface of the auricle from the cartilage with an anesthetic solution, excision of the skin in the form of an ellipse on the posterior surface of the auricle, cutting the cartilage to the perichondrium along the outer edge of the antihelix, and making staggered notches on the entire thickness of the cartilage, forming the antihelix with U-shaped sutures. The result of the correction was the correction of proportional disorders, ensuring the symmetry of both ears. First of all, the excessive protrusion of the upper part of the auricle was eliminated, since some protrusion of the middle and lower parts may be acceptable. The full-face helix of both auricles was visualized through an antihelix. An even and smooth contour of the antihelix along its entire length was provided. The nuchal recess was not reduced too much, while its shape was not violated. Excessive pressing of the auricle against the head was avoided. Staggered notches help to reduce the excessive pressure on the suture, prevent tension of the ear cartilage and overcorrection during the formation of the antihelix. Conclusions. The proposed method provides minimal trauma, promotes the formation of a natural antihelix shape and provides a good cosmetic result in children with protruding ear with underdeveloped antihelix. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethical Committee of the institution mentioned in the work. Informed consent was obtained from the parents of the children (or their guardians), children. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.