Surgical treatment of congenital aural atresia – is it still justified?. (March 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Edfeldt, Lennart; Strömbäck, Karin
• Is Part Of: Acta oto-laryngologica. Volume 135:Number 3(2015)
• Page Start: 226
• Page End: 232
• Publication Date: 2014-03
• Subjects: Otolaryngology -- Periodicals; Ear -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Throat -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Otolaryngology -- Electronic Resources; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; 617.8
• DOI: 10.3109/00016489.2014.979437
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0001-6489

Abstract

<abstract> <title>Abstract</title> <p> <italic>Conclusion:</italic> Surgery candidacy based on the surgical accessibility of the middle ear seems more valuable than the use of a preoperative grading system. Also patients with severe malformations can benefit from surgical reconstruction. <italic>Objective:</italic> To evaluate the long-term results of the primary surgical treatment of patients with congenital auricular atresia (CAA). <italic>Methods:</italic> One hundred patients with CAA underwent surgical reconstruction between 1985 and 2010. The mean follow-up time was 40 months. All patients were retrospectively scored using the Jahrsdoerfer grading scale and divided into two groups according to the grade of their malformation. Group 1 included 20 patients with scores of 4–6 and group 2 included 80 patients with scores of 7–10. Pre- and postoperative air conduction (AC), bone conduction (BC), pure-tone average 'air–bone gap' (PTA₄-ABG), surgical findings, postoperative complications, and revision surgeries performed were determined and compared between the two groups. <italic>Results:</italic> For 90% of the patients in group 1 and 79% of the patients in group 2, the postoperative ABG was within 0 and 30 dB. The most common complications were recurrent infection, lateralization of the tympanic membrane, and restenosis of the ear canal.</p> </abstract>