Sensation Loss of Auricle Following Ear Surgery by Post-auricular Incision: Our Experience

Post-auricular incisions used for ear surgeries have their distinct advantages and disadvantages. Numbness in post-auricular region or over pinna is a symptom encountered in many patients following surgery via post-auricular incision. We performed this study to investigate this phenomenon of aural numbness in terms of frequency and severity. Design: Prospective study. Setting: This study was conducted in our hospital from 1st December 2015 to 30th November 2016 for a period of 1 year. The period of analysis was 1 month. Subjects: All patients undergoing surgery via post-auricular incision were included in the study. Methods: All the subjects were subjected to touch and pain sensory testing and also symptoms were recorded with the help of visual analog scale. The mean subjective Visual analog scale (VAS) value had significantly reduced after the surgery and it gradually improved over a period of about 6 months when it became near normal. Sensory testing revealed loss of touch and pain sensation in about 67% of patients following the surgery. The sensation recovered over a variable period of time, with about 95% of patients having normal touch and pain sensation 6 months after the surgery. Majority of patients treated with postaural incision develop sensory loss which is likely to recover in 3-6 months. Till that time patients should be counselled properly and appropriate measures should be taken to avoid any complications of sensory loss.