title: Long-term surgical results for congenital aural atresia.
abstract: Thirty-nine primary surgical cases for correction of congenital aural atresia were reviewed for complications and long-term hearing results. Hearing averages of 25 dB for mild atresia, 40 dB for moderate atresia, and 46 dB for severe atresia were obtained. Serviceable hearing was achieved in 64% of the cases. The two most frequent complications were stenosis and recurrent infections of the cavity and canal skin, with an incidence of 33% and 31%, respectively. Use of split-thickness instead of full-thickness skin graft was associated with fewer complications. The goal of this review is also to share the experience of the senior author in the management of this complex problem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Crabtree
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000601:surgery; D004423:Ear / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D004431:Ear, External / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies