Quality of life after otoplasty for prominent ears in children

Aim

Prominent ears are a common congenital malformation and are associated with low self-esteem, social isolation and diminished school performance. Our goal was to evaluate the influence of otoplasty on children’s quality of life (QoL).

Material and methods

Patients submitted to otoplasty from 2016 to 2018 were summoned for a reevaluation. Seventy patients and respective caregivers agreed to participate. Surgical, demographic and clinical data were reviewed from electronic registries.

Two sets of inquiries were performed

Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (for parent and child) and an adaptation of the Glasgow Children Benefit Inventory (GCBI-b). Fifteen patients were excluded for incomplete inquiries.

Results

Fifty-five patients were included, 70.9% were males. Median age at surgery was 7.7 ± 3.3 years. Aesthetic dissatisfaction was the main previous negative experience. Median self-report quality of life was 85.6% and parent-report was 86.9%. Median GCBI-b was +20.5, indicating an improvement in patients’ QoL. Bullying and high parental expectations for life change post-surgery were predictive of higher GCBI-b scores (p < 0.05). Ninety-six percent of parents would recommend surgery to other children.

Conclusions

Otoplasty is a valid treatment option for prominent ears in children,improving not only aesthetics but also health-related QoL.