Otoplasty Using the Combined Mustardé-Furnas Technique: Satisfaction and Objective Results

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Otolaryngology
• Patient Outcomes Research

Background:

• Otoplasty, a common cosmetic surgery, aims to correct prominent ears.
• The combined Mustardé-Furnas technique is frequently employed for otoplasty.
• Assessing patient satisfaction alongside objective surgical outcomes is crucial for evaluating procedure success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine patient satisfaction levels following otoplasty using the combined Mustardé-Furnas technique.
• To evaluate surgical outcomes objectively using the McDowell/Wright (MW) criteria.
• To analyze the correlation between patient satisfaction and objective surgical outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study was conducted on 172 patients who underwent 343 otoplasty procedures between 1996 and 2016.
• Patients were assessed 12 months post-surgery using the MW criteria for surgical success and patient satisfaction surveys.
• Statistical analysis, including Spearman rho and Kendall coefficients, was used to determine the correlation between satisfaction and outcomes.

Main Results:

• 77.9% of patients met all 6 MW criteria for surgical success and reported high satisfaction (9-10).
• A moderate to low positive correlation was found between the number of met MW criteria and patient satisfaction (Spearman rho=0.545, Kendall=0.375, P < 0.001).
• A significant proportion of patients reported satisfactory outcomes (7-10) even when surgeons rated the results as poor based on MW criteria.

Conclusions:

• Patient satisfaction generally increases with improved surgical outcomes as defined by MW criteria.
• A moderate to low correlation suggests that patient perception of satisfaction is influenced by factors beyond objective surgical success.
• The findings highlight a discrepancy between objective surgical assessment and subjective patient satisfaction in otoplasty.