Donor site morbidity of greater auricular nerve graft harvesting.

To better understand the risks of obtaining greater auricular nerve (GAN) grafts, a retrospective analysis of 29 patients who underwent GAN graft procurement between 1985 and 1990 was conducted. No short-term morbidity was noted. Thirteen patients developed symptomatic nerve injuries, of which 6 reported spontaneous resolution in an average of 4.6 months. Three patients developed neuromas and 1 formed a hypertrophic scar. Persistent nerve injury symptoms were well tolerated in all but one patient, who developed sympathetic-mediated pain.