Surgery of the ears: otoplasty

For the child, this type of defect is often a cause of derision and ridicule on the part of other children, and among adults it is common to find individuals who still hide, feel embarrassed, or feel limitations by their ears.

The protruding ears in abano or of protrusion are cause of important complexes, especially in children and young people, although also in adults. They are usually operated at the age of 8 or 9 years when the result of them has been completed, although it is not uncommon to intervene at other ages. Its correction is very simple and consists in obtaining the curvature that is missing through an incision in the back. This type of deformity consists of an alteration, or of the anatomical proportions that make up the ear, or else, of the harmonic development of the curves that shape the auricle.. It has a genetic component, that is, there are possibilities of transmission from parents to children. The diagnosis is made quickly by the pediatrician and parents, who observe that the child's ears project excessively out of the head. This first diagnosis is temporary, since there is a possibility that it will recover properly in the first years of life. You often hear about homemade methods to solve the problem: the plaster bandage that keeps the ear stuck to the head, hide the ears with the hair, or simply get used to the idea that they have such ears and accept it.

A little history

There are many and varied distortions that can present the ears, and each one has given rise to a large number of techniques. Dieffenbach (1845) performed the removal of a retroauricular skin ellipse in order to carry back the entire ear. Luckett (1910) treated cartilage and skin. Subsequently, other surgeons have devised techniques each more original to correct frequent atrial defects. One of the most ingenious techniques is due to Pitanguy (1962), which makes an incision in the cartilage in an elliptical (island technique) with which breaks the rigidity of the cartilage, and at the same time creates the antihelix absent through the projection of the island, which remains attached previously to the skin.

The surgical solution

Otoplasty is the surgery that molds the ears, and also includes interventions aimed at correcting the excessive size of the ears, the lobe and even partial or total lack of the auricle.

The ideal is to perform the surgery when the ears have reached the final development, between seven and nine years, but it is not always convenient to wait so long. The consequences and repercussions may be more unfavorable than the fact of anticipating something surgery, (at 3 years of age there has been an 85% development of the ears). This assessment must be made between the child, the parents and the surgeon.

The surgery lasts approximately one hour, it is simple but very delicate. It is usually carried out with ambulatory character, that is, the patient at the end of the surgery remains under observation and after a few hours is sent to his home. Normally, as long as the patient's characteristics permit, it is performed under local anesthesia, although general anesthesia may be necessary in certain cases. In children it is important to give them a pre-anesthetic medication to avoid fear and anxiety before the operating room.