A Surgical Technique for Congenital Preauricular Sinus

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Pediatric Surgery
• Congenital Abnormalities

Background:

• Preauricular sinuses are common congenital abnormalities in children.
• Surgical treatment of preauricular sinuses is challenging due to high recurrence rates.
• This study reviews outcomes and presents a surgical technique for preauricular sinus excision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the outcomes of preauricular sinus treatment.
• To introduce a specific surgical technique for preauricular sinus excision.
• To evaluate the prognosis of the presented surgical method.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 44 patients (57 sinus tracts) undergoing excision between 2007-2014.
• Preoperative dye instillation and intraoperative probe insertion for sinus tract visualization.
• Elliptical skin incision followed by medial and posterior dissection to the ascending helix cartilage.

Main Results:

• The study included 44 patients with 57 preauricular sinus tracts.
• No postoperative wound complications or infections were reported.
• A recurrence-free rate was achieved in all patients following the surgical procedure.

Conclusions:

• A combination of dye instillation, probe insertion, and modified dissection resulted in recurrence-free preauricular sinus tract excision.
• The technique demonstrated successful outcomes in a diverse patient group.
• Further studies with larger patient cohorts are recommended to validate these findings.