[Evaluation of quality of life following prosthetic replacement of the auricle]

Abstract

Introduction: The assessment of quality of life (QOL) of patients is becoming increasingly important in the evaluation of the quality of care. Therefore, we examined the quality of life of patients treated with prostheses following loss of an auricle using a questionnaire.

Patients and methods: Of 18 patients (14 male, 4 female), 10 had lost an auricle due to a neoplasm, 2 traumatically, while 6 patients showed a congenital lack of an auricle. In order to measure the subjective quality of life we used a questionnaire compiled by the WHO (WHOQOL-BREF); we used a self-designed questionnaire for questions relating to the prostheses.

Results: Analysis of the data of all patients with prostheses in comparison with the age-based general population showed a lower score value for quality of life, indicating a poorer quality of life. However, none of the differences were statistically significant. Patients with neoplasms achieved higher values compared with the age-based standard value; in contrast, the other patients showed lower values in nearly every respect. The gender-related analysis of the results showed a poorer quality of life for females than for males.

Conclusion: The reason for an auricle defect as well as patient gender influenced the subjective quality of life following prosthetic surgery. The overall acceptance of auricular prostheses can be considered good, especially among patients suffering from neoplasms. In order to be able to evaluate the results and compare the different working groups more sufficiently it would be desirable to use standardized test procedures and a larger patient collective.