Effective management of congenital preauricular sinus to reduce recurrence

Congenital preauricular sinus is a common developmental anomaly with frequent recurrence and post-operative complications despite surgical management. Therefore, it is of interest to compare simple sinusectomy and the supra-auricular approach regarding recurrence, infection, operative time, healing, cosmetic outcomes and patient satisfaction. Hence, eighty-six patients were prospectively assigned to either simple sinusectomy (n=42) or supra-auricular excision (n=44) and followed for 12 months. The supra-auricular approach showed zero recurrence, better cosmetic satisfaction and higher patient approval, despite a longer operative time. Thus, we support the supra-auricular approach as the preferred technique for effective and cosmetically superior management of preauricular sinus.