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When do ears become prominent?
1RAFT Centre for Plastic Surgery, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex, UK.
Insights
Congenital ear deformities like prominent ears can be corrected non-surgically with splinting during infancy. Most ear deformities are noticeable at birth or within the first six months, allowing for early, cost-effective treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Plastic Surgery
- Neonatal Care
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Non-hypoplastic congenital ear deformities are common.
- Early intervention with non-surgical splinting is effective for prominent ears.
- Understanding the onset of ear deformities is crucial for timely treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the typical onset of prominent ear deformity in children.
- To inform the optimal timing for non-surgical correction of prominent ears.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study utilizing postal questionnaires.
- Parents of children with prominent ears were surveyed about the onset of the deformity.
- Data collected from 79 returned questionnaires out of 100 sent.
Main Results:
- The prominent ear deformity was noted at birth in 61% of children.
- By 6 months of age, 86% of children had the deformity noted.
- All cases of prominent ear deformity were identified by 5 years of age.
Conclusions:
- Prominent ear deformities are often present from birth or early infancy.
- Early, non-surgical treatment of prominent ears is feasible and recommended.
- Non-surgical correction offers a cost-effective, anesthesia-free option for prominent ear deformities.
Abstract:
Non-hypoplastic congenital ear deformities are amenable to non-surgical treatment with splinting in the neonatal period. It is therefore important to determine when the deformity occurs. 100 postal questionnaires were sent to parents to study, retrospectively, the evolution of the prominent ear deformity in their children. 79 questionnaires were returned. As remembered by parents, the deformity was first noted at birth in 48 (61%) children, in 68 (86%) by 6 months and in all cases by 5 years. Therefore a large number of patients with prominent ears could be treated effectively, non surgically, early in life, without anaesthetic and with minimal cost.