A new skin flap method for total auricular reconstruction in microtia patients with a reconstructed ear canal: extended scalp and extended mastoid postauricular skin flaps.
Before visiting a plastic surgeon, some microtia patients may undergo canaloplasty for hearing improvement. In such cases, scarred tissues and the reconstructed external auditory canal in the postauricular area may cause a significant limitation in using the posterior auricular skin flap for ear reconstruction. In this article, we present a new method for auricular reconstruction in microtia patients with previous canaloplasty. By dividing a postauricular skin flap into an upper scalp extended skin flap and a lower mastoid extended skin flap at the level of a reconstructed external auditory canal, the entire anterior surface of the auricular framework can be covered with the two extended postauricular skin flaps. The reconstructed ear shows good color match and texture, with the entire anterior surface of the reconstructed ear being resurfaced with the skin flaps. Clinical question/level of evidence; therapeutic level IV.
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bundang CHA Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, South Korea.
Euna
E
Hwang
Bona Microtia and Aesthetic Ear Surgery Clinic, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: isaacyskim1126@gmail.com.
Young Soo
YS
Kim
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Ilsan, South Korea; Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, 100 Ilsan-ro, Ilsan-donggu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do 410-719, South Korea.
Seum
S
Chung
D002356:Cartilage / Q000637:transplantation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D065817:Congenital Microtia; D004423:Ear / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D054644:Ear Auricle / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery*; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery*; D004954:Esthetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008416:Mastoid / Q000601:surgery; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
Canaloplasty; Ear reconstruction; Microtia