An update on auricular reconstruction: three major auricular malformations of microtia, prominent ear and cryptotia

Purpose of review Microtia, prominent ear, and cryptotia are the most common types of auricular malformations. This review provides updated information on these types of reconstructions, in addition to recalling previously accepted surgical methods. Recent findings Autogenous costal cartilage is still considered as an ideal material for framework fabrication in microtia reconstruction. Many surgeons have adopted the Nagata approach, the Brent approach, or variations of the two, in their work. With these employed techniques, auricles reconstructed by experienced surgeons have proven to be aesthetically promising. However, with regards to the harvesting of the costal cartilage, the underdevelopment of the chest wall donor site, alopecia of the scalp, and scarring of the postauricular-mastoid region are still considered problematic aspects of these approaches. Some articles have described attempts to solve these problems, whereas some experiments in cartilage production using tissue engineering techniques have shown promise in their initial stages of development. It is generally accepted that prominent ears should be corrected through a combination of sculpting and suture techniques, according to the individual shape and the quality of the ear prominence. Most of the cryptotia malformations show not only embedded upper auricles, but also associated adhesions of the upper auricular cartilage. Their correction should therefore resolve both deformities. Summary A number of articles highlighting clinical experiences with auricular reconstructions for microtia, prominent ear, and cryptotia have been included in this review. We believe that the information synthesized here will become a basis for further development of auricular reconstruction techniques.