Anthropometric measurements in 126 microtia reconstructions.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Retrospective case series / cohort study without an external control group
PubMed 23884854 · doi:10.1055/s-0033-1349357
What was done
A retrospective comparative study evaluated 126 Asian patients with unilateral microtia who underwent autogenous costal cartilage auricular reconstruction between 2007 and 2010. Patients were divided into three age groups (mean age 14 years, average follow-up 2.5 years). Auricular height (supra-auricle to subauricle) and width (preauricle to postauricle) of both the reconstructed auricle and the contralateral normal ear were measured at implantation and at final follow-up, and compared using paired Student t-tests.
What was found
Reconstructed auricle width increased by an average of 1.24 mm (3.68%) in children and 1.35 mm (3.91%) in adolescents, with no obvious changes in adults. Reconstructed auricle height showed no significant interval changes across all three groups. Normal ears reached mature size by age 12. Compared with the contralateral normal ear, reconstructed auricles showed average height decreases of 0.77 mm (1.3%) in children and 1.3 mm (2.09%) in adolescents, and an average width increase of 1.13 mm (3.15%) in the adolescent group.
Why it matters
These findings provide anthropometric benchmarks for costal cartilage framework dimensional changes over time, aiding reconstructive surgeons in appropriately sizing cartilage frameworks in pediatric and adolescent patients.
Limits
The study is a retrospective case series limited to an Asian population. The mean follow-up of 2.5 years is relatively short for tracking complete long-term growth, and measurements were restricted to two-dimensional linear distances (height and width) without volumetric or three-dimensional projection data.
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