A Temporoparietal Fascia Pocket Method in Elevation of Reconstructed Auricle for Microtia.

Background: In the two-stage procedures for the reconstruction of microtia, an axial flap of temporoparietal fascia (TPF) is widely used to cover the costal cartilage blocks placed behind the framework. Although a TPF flap is undoubtedly reliable, use of the flap has some morbidity and comes at the expense of the option for salvage surgery. Methods: The authors devised a simplified procedure for covering the cartilage blocks by creating a pocket in the postauricular TPF. In the procedure, the constructed auricle is elevated from the head superficially to the TPF, and a pocket is created under the TPF and the capsule of the auricle framework. Then, cartilage blocks are inserted into the pocket and fixed. A total of 38 reconstructed ears in 38 patients with microtia ranging in age from 9 to 19 years were elevated using the authors' method from 2002 to 2014 and followed-up for at least 5 months. To evaluate the long-term stability of the method, two-way analysis of variance (p

http://ift.tt/2i3UESx