A Systematic Review of Treatment Protocols in Auricular Pseudocysts

A systematic review of literature on treatment modalities available with respect to efficacy, complications and recurrences so as to guide the clinician to better treat this enigmatic condition. A systematic search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Ovid and Cochrane databases. Articles in English that described or compared treatment were included. Articles without clear treatment end-points or follow-up data were excluded. Patients were then divided by primary treatment modality into Aspiration, Incision & Drainage (I&D), surgical deroofing, intralesional steroids (ILS) and No treatment groups and compared with respect to cure rates, complications and residual thickening using Chi-square test. Similarly confounding variables compression and suturing were compared. 85 articles were selected and reviewed (1699 patients; mean follow-up 7.8 months). Surgical deroofing had the highest cure rate (98.2%) followed by I&D (95.4%), both of which were significantly more efficacious than Aspiration with or without ILS (p < 0.001). Aspiration with ILS had the highest rate of complications (13.6%) and residual thickening (16.7%); significantly more than other treatment modalities. Aspiration with negative pressure device had a 100% cure in the few reported articles (n = 57). Compression had no significant advantage overall, but suturing significantly increased cure rates. Surgical deroofing and I&D are the most efficacious treatments. Aspiration + ILS has lower cure and significantly increased complications, hence should be avoided. Based on the results, we propose a treatment protocol for auricular pseudocyst. As only two high-quality randomized controlled trials were available in literature, further research in comparing treatment is warranted.