Clinical Implications of Auricular Keloid Subsite for Multisite Keloid Involvement: An Exploratory Retrospective...

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Plastic Surgery
• Genetics

Background:

• Auricular keloids are common, yet the association between specific ear subsites and broader keloid susceptibility is unclear.
• Ear piercing, involving repeated trauma and inflammation, may link keloid cause and location.
• This study investigates if auricular subsite correlates with multisite keloid involvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if specific auricular subsites are associated with multisite keloid involvement.
• To explore the relationship between keloid location on the ear and the presence of keloids at other body sites.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 182 patients undergoing keloid excision and radiotherapy.
• Logistic regression analysis to assess the association between auricular subsite and multisite keloid involvement.
• Statistical analyses included collinearity, model fit, discrimination, trend testing, and sensitivity analyses.

Main Results:

• Multisite involvement varied by auricular subsite (P=0.020), with the earlobe showing the highest prevalence (72.0%).
• Ear piercing was a significant independent predictor of multisite keloid involvement (OR: 7.10, P=0.002).
• Statistical significance was not reached for earlobe versus helix comparisons or trend tests across subsites.

Conclusions:

• While descriptive differences in multisite involvement exist across auricular subsites, primary comparisons lacked statistical significance.
• Findings suggest ear piercing is a significant factor in multisite keloid development.
• Results are considered exploratory and hypothesis-generating regarding a constitutional-to-reactive keloid spectrum.