A new method of total reconstruction of the auricle for microtia

Abstract

This new method for total reconstruction of the auricle is a two-stage operation in which the first stage involves fabrication and grafting of a three-dimensional costal cartilage framework and the second stage is the ear elevation operation. The three-dimensional frame was designed with emphasis on the fabrication of the helical crus, intertragic notch, and antitragus and by extending the crus helicis and fixing it to the undersurface of the base frame. The reconstructed auricle will have four different floors: the cymba and cavum conchae are the bottom (fourth) level, the crus helicis is the third level, the fossa triangularis and the scapha are the second level, and the helix, anthelix, tragus, and antitragus are the top level. The skin incision was made in a W-shaped fashion to create skin flaps with ample surface area to cover the three-dimensional frame without skin grafting. Furthermore, the semilunar costal cartilage was utilized for ear elevation. Thus this new method for total reconstruction of the auricle eliminates the major problems encountered with the conventional method.