Two-lobed advancement flap for cutaneous helical rim defects

BACKGROUND. Bilobed flaps, transposition repairs used primarily on the nose, recruit tissue from an area of laxity via rotational motion. A variant of the bilobe, the two-lobed flap based on the W-plasty, is a transposition flap that shifts tissue predominantly via advancement. OBJECTIVE. To apply the two-lobed advancement flap to the problem of reconstructing cutaneous helical rim defects of the ear. METHODS. Helical two-lobed advancement flaps were designed and implemented to correct small- to medium-sized defects. RESULTS. The ear helix was successfully repaired with two-lobed advancement flaps. There was minimal distortion of the ear architecture or cartilage, and blood supply was sufficient to ensure flap viability. CONCLUSIONS. In selected cases, cutaneous helical rim defects of the ear can be aesthetically repaired with a two-lobed advancement flap derived from the posterior auricular surface.