Early nonsurgical correction of congenital auricular deformities

Abstract

Congenital auricular deformation is not an uncommon phenomenon, and it may cause substantial annoyance to the growing child. Many parents of affected children will seek surgical correction of the deformed auricles. The variety of techniques that have been described for the correction of this anomaly suggests that none has been considered satisfying. The consequent possible surgical complications should also be considered, when the surgical procedure can be replaced by an effective conservative treatment. The authors describe their experience using early splinting for congenital auricular deformities. Fifty-two newborn infants with lop, prominent, Stahl's, and constricted ears referred to us by the neonatal department staff were enrolled in this study. Putty Soft, a vinyl polysiloxane impression material, has been used for early molding of the auricles. Surgical tapes were used for the fixation of the mold and to fix the auricle to the scalp. The results were evaluated by one of the parents and by a layperson (medical student) 6 months after completion of the procedure. The above-described early splinting procedure was applied onto 92 auricles of 52 newborn infants aged 1 to 10 days, mostly around day 3. The mean treatment time was 6.8 weeks. All treated auricles were improved, 87 percent were rated as excellent improvement, and there were no complications related to the treatment. The authors conclude that early splinting of deformed auricles should be offered to parents of affected children, and the awareness of this procedure by neonatologists, pediatricians, and nursery staff should be increased.