Nonsurgical correction of congenital auricular deformities in children older than early neonates.

It has been reported that nonsurgical correction of auricular deformities is not effective except in early neonates. We have succeeded in nonsurgical correction using thermoplastic splints for congenital auricular deformities on 50 ears of 45 patients without severe hypoplasia in children older than 1 year. Details of the types of ears we attempted to treat were 26 cryptotias, 5 lop ears, 5 Stahl's ears, 3 prominent ears, 3 shell ears, and 8 other miscellaneous conditions. The patients were between 1 and 14 years of age with an average age of 3.6 years. Our results were categorized as follows: excellent (the auricle was delicately corrected into a desirable form and satisfied the patient), improved (the auricle was corrected into a rough form that did not attain to a desirable shape and an irregular form still remained; however, its improvement satisfied the patient), recurrent (the auricle was initially corrected but the deformity recurred), not improved (the auricle was not corrected to the desired form and the result did not satisfy the patient), and gave up (the patient gave up before treatment could be completed). In our results, the average period of splint application was 2.1 months. In 27 of the 50 cases, the treated ears were excellent. Eleven ear cases showed improvement. Six cases showed recurrence. Three cases did not improve. Three patients gave up treatment. It is suggested that nonsurgical auricular correction is possible in almost all children, even if they are not early neonates, when corrections are made continuously and gradually.