Assessment of Noninvasive Ear Molding: A Classification-Guided Approach

To systematically evaluate the clinical application and long-term efficacy of ear molding devices and to explore future treatment strategies for auricular morphological deformity (AMD).

Clinical data of patients with AMDs who visited our department between 2017 and 2022 were retrospectively collected. This study included 102 cases who underwent noninvasive ear molding correction and were followed up for more than 3 years. The correction of different types of AMDs-such as prominent ear, cup ear, cryptotia, and lop ear-was analyzed in detail. Correction outcomes were recorded.

The overall success rate of correction was 85.29%. No significant differences were found in total wear time among different deformity types. Similarly, no significant differences were observed in correction outcomes across different morphological types of AMDs. The age at treatment initiation was positively correlated with total wear time. Both the age at treatment initiation and total wear time influenced the correction outcomes. Age ≤ 7 days and total correction time ≤ 28 days were independently associated with better treatment outcomes, each exerting a significant and non-confounding effect on prognosis. Notably, only one case developed relatively severe eczema, which interrupted device wear for approximately 1 week; this complication was not associated with the use of domestic or imitation correction devices.

While different correction approaches may vary in their application across deformity types, the long-term correction outcomes are comparable among different morphological classifications. The final outcome is influenced by the age at which correction is initiated and the total wear time. Only a small proportion of patients experienced complications that affected device wear. Noninvasive ear molding is an effective treatment modality with favorable long-term outcomes.

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