The "electric" otoplasty

The goal of otoplasty in the treatment of prominauris is symmetrical restoration of the ears to an aesthetic position with respect to the side of the head. Most commonly, this is accomplished by the creation or enhancement of the antihelical fold. In addition, reduction in the projection of the conchal bowl may be required with manipulation of the antihelical fold. While myriad techniques exist to correct the poorly formed antihelical fold, most involve cartilage weakening and suture placement. Herein we describe a simple and effective technique for cartilage weakening using electrocautery. Using this technique, otoplasty can be performed in a reproducible fashion with a low incidence of complications. In the more than 60 patients treated with this technique, there were no complications related to the use of the electrocautery, and excellent results were consistently obtained.