Auricular Growth Potential of Patients with Concha-Type Microtia after Auricular Cartilage Stretching Surgery: A Prospective Study

Backgrounds For patients with concha-type microtia, surgical intervention and the degree of deformity may affect the growth rate of auricular cartilage, which was also different at different ages. This study aimed to explore the auricular growth potential of patients with concha-type microtia at different ages after auricular cartilage stretching surgery. Methods A total of 66 patients with unilateral grade II and III concha-type microtia were involved in this prospective cohort study. All patients underwent auricular cartilage stretching surgery. Relevant data were collected before surgery, at immediate after surgery, and at the last follow-up. Results The perimeter, width, and length of auricle, between each follow-up, was statistically significant, which supported the surgical effect and auricular development. For patients in grade II group, no statistical significance was found in the difference of perimeter, width, and length between the affected and the normal auricle. For the patients in grade III group, the difference of such relevant indexes of the affected auricle was significantly different from those of the normal auricle. Between subgroups divided according to their age, the growth potential of affected auricle with the same degree of deformity was statistically significant. Conclusions Growth potential of the affected auricle of grade II group was consistent with that of the normal auricle, which was significantly higher than that of grade III group. For patients at different ages, auricles grew faster before 3 years. Surgical intervention improved the auricular aesthetics and released the auricular growth potential, which had better be recommend as early as possible.