Clinical Outcomes of Osseointegrated Prosthetic Auricular Reconstruction in Patients With a Compromised Ipsilateral...

Patients with major ear deformities and associated compromise of the superficial temporal artery are poor candidates for autogenous ear reconstruction because of a tenuous ipsilateral temporoparietal fascial flap (TPFF). Osseointegrated prosthetic auricular reconstruction (OPAR) is an alternative to contralateral free TPFF microsurgical and autogenous reconstruction, but data on clinical outcomes are limited. The records of patients with ear loss or major deformity and a compromised ipsilateral TPFF who underwent OPAR from 1989 to 2013 were reviewed. Satisfaction was assessed using a questionnaire based on a 5 point Likert scale. Thirty-two patients (8 women, 24 men) with mean age 43.0 years (range, 10-70 years) underwent OPAR. The ipsilateral TPFF was compromised due to major trauma (13 patients), cancer extirpation (9), burn injury (4), previous harvest (4), arteriovenous malformation (1), or infection (1). All but 2 patients had an associated craniofacial defect, such as soft tissue deformity (87.5%), hearing loss (46.9%), or bony deformity (31.3%). The overall implant success rate was 88.6% at mean follow-up time of 7.6 years post-OPAR. Prosthesis wear averaged 12.2 hours/day and 6.6 days/week (80.5 hours/week). All 5 patients who experienced implant failures had received prior head and neck irradiation. With their prosthesis, 76.2% (16 patients) stated that their self-consciousness and self-esteem were "better" or "much better," whereas 85.7% (18 patients) stated that their self-image was "better" or "much better." All patients declared that they would undergo the treatment again. Osseointegrated prosthetic auricular reconstruction is a reliable option in this challenging population with high patient satisfaction. Patients with prior radiotherapy may have a higher chance of implant failure and would benefit from extended annual follow-up.