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Long-term quality of life assessment in patients with auricular prostheses
Hanneke Kievit1, Godelieve W J A Verhage-Damen, Koen J Ingels
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Objective:
To investigate the quality of life of people with an auricular prosthesis.
Methods:
A retrospective case series study was conducted. Quality of life was evaluated by an open-ended question form and 3 questionnaires: the Glasgow Benefit Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, and the standard Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 12. The occurrence of peri-implant skin reactions (defined by Holgers), along with fixture stability and prosthesis data, were evaluated in 29 implants from 10 patients. The follow-up period varied between several months and more than 17 years.
Results:
The 3 questionnaires showed an improvement in quality of life scores for all patients, and all patients would recommend the prosthesis. Skin reactions that needed treatment (ie, Holgers grades 2-4) were seen in 6.2% of all observations; 44.8% of the implants demonstrated either no reaction at all or redness only around the implant. A significant correlation was found between the Rosenberg Self-Esteem score and the number of prosthesis replacements.
Conclusion:
In general, patients seemed to be satisfied with the auricular prostheses, which did improve their quality of life. Furthermore, the quality of life was enhanced with higher quality prostheses and with proper hygiene to prevent skin reactions.
