Tragus formation during concha-type microtia repair using a chondrocutaneous island flap

Formation of an ideally-shaped tragus remains one of the most challenging issues during staged tragus reconstruction in microtia patients. The authors describe a new method used to treat a unique case of concha-type microtia in which the 10-year-old male patient had only a portion of pre-existing cartilage at the tragus site. An anomalous skin lump was also present. During the initial stages of the reconstruction, the two-stage Nagata method was used for surgical correction of the microtia. An autologous rib cartilage graft was used to form the ear framework. A temporoparietal fascia flap was also constructed. Remnant skin tags and anomalous cartilage that accompany microtia are usually removed during microtia repair. However, the cartilage and skin lump were preserved during the reconstruction. The skin lump was later used to form a vascularized chondrocutaneous island flap that supplemented the portion of cartilage during tragus formation. The result was a new tragus that was satisfactorily improved in both size and shape. Patients with concha-type microtia may benefit from the use of this new method for tragus formation.