Ear Surgery

The surgery is called otoplasty and it is targeted to correct protruding or large outer ears.

It is usually performed in children ages 4-14. The ear reaches it`s final size around ages 4-6 and therefore it is better to perform the surgery at a younger age to avoid unnecessary suffering.

Additional conditions which can be corrected are “lop ear”, in which the upper ear is folded and leans forward; “cupped ear”, in which the outer ears are unusually small; and “shell ear”, in which there is flattening of the folds resulting in a shell-like ear.

Long, short or torn ear lobes also can be fixed. This operation can repair congenital ear defects and make reconstruction of the outer ear after trauma.

The operation usually takes between 1-3 hours; more complex procedures may take even longer. A cut is made behind the ear, making it invisible, to allow access to the ear cartilage.

Then the surgeon will design the cartilage, using cuts and sutures, to get the desired shape. In some cases, non-absorbable stitches are used in order to create fold. Such stitches will be under the skin and there is no need to remove them. A few surgeons prefer to make the cut in front of the ear and hide the scar behind the skin folds. In most cases the scar fades over time and is hardly seen. Both ears can be corrected in the same operation.

With younger children a general anesthesia is preferred, where cooperative adults can be treated using local anesthetics and sedative drugs.

Every operation has its risk. There is risk of blood clots under the scar area, which usually absorb after a few days, otherwise there would be a need to drain then. There is a risk of infection involving the ear cartilage which can leave a scar. Such infections can be treated successfully with antibiotics in most cases and it would rarely require surgical drainage.

After surgery, the majority of adults can return home, where young children usually remain overnight for observation. The ears are bandaged with a bandage around the head to prevent bleeding and preserve the final shape. The ears will be swollen and painful for a couple of days. It is advised to avoid any activity which can harm the ears for about a month. Children should pay extra attention while playing. A patient should not sleep on the repaired ear for about 7-10 days.

Otoplasty

Otoplasty – What Is It?

Otoplasty is performed by a qualified plastic surgeon with special experience in ear pinning plastic surgery. Otia is the term for ear and hence the plastic surgery of the ear is known as otoplasty. Persons with big ears undergo otoplasty to improve their facial appearance. The adult patient is administered a local anesthetic, while children are usually given general anesthetic to get them to sleep. The skin around the ear is cleaned and the anesthetic is injected, numbing the ears. Then small incisions are made in the ear for exposing and repositioning the cartilage. Then stitches are applied to hold the ear in the modified position. A pinnaplasty ear surgery normally takes an hour or two. The patient could leave the hospital after a few hours. However, it might take one or two weeks for the removal of the bandage covering the ears.

Otoplasty – How Is It Done?

Otoplasty is normally done by a plastic surgeon but all oral and maxillofacial surgeons are qualified to conduct this face procedure or ear surgery, since they are trained in the surgery of the craniomaxillofacial complex. This complex is the entire anatomical area of the face, mouth, skull, jaws, and other associated structures in the head.

Children with microtic ears or absent-microtic ears would require highly delicate surgical reconstruction. It is estimated that congenital microtia occurs in one out of 6,000 to 8,000 births.

This could cause severe embarrassment in children. However, this condition could be easily corrected by a plastic surgeon who is an expert in otoplasty. The surgeon might use the chest cartilage as the donor tissue for constructing the framework of the normal ear. Normally, the children with microtic ears could undergo this ear surgery at the age of five.

However, the otologic surgeon should keep the child under observation from the birth itself to ensure that the hearing of the child is not impaired due to microtia and to take corrective measures, if that happens.