Some types of auricular deformities which show abnormal plical folding rather than hypoplasia, including lop ear, prominent ear, Stahl´s ear, and cup ear, can be corrected nonsurgically, although surgical reconstruction is essential in the management of the auricular deformities with severe hypoplasia, such as microtia and antis.
The incidence of the auricular deformities without severe hypoplasia in the nursery of Seoul National University Hospital from January to March, 1993 was 19.6% of 347 normal full-term newborn babies. The incidence of lop ear deformity was 11.2%, and those of Stahl´s ear and prominent ear were 6.1% and 3.2% respectively.
We started the nonsurgical treatment in 34 cases within the first week after birth, before the auricles lost their plasticity. Dental compound was used as splint and maintained for about 4 weeks. And we could eliminate the abnormal plical folding by compression, and mold new folds or shift the existing folds.
14 lop ears, 7 Stahl´s ears, 6 prominent ears, and 2 cup ears were treated nonsurgically, 76% of which showed the satisfactory result. Wide and deep concha of cup ear tends to resist the nonsurgical treatment. Lop ear deformities with sufficient amount of skin and cartilage at superior one third of auricle showed the remarkable improvement in formation of the superior crus and scapha, regardless of the size of the hood. 2 lop ears without sufficient tissue, on the contrary, were hard to be molded satisfactorily. Stahl´s ear and prominent ear could be corrected easily. These suggests that the amount of cartilage and soft tissue at the lesion to be corrected seems to be closely related to the results of the early nonsurgical treatment.
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