Archives of Craniofacial Surgery (대한두개안면성형외과학회지)

Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (대한두개안면성형외과학회)
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Reconstruction of a Traumatic Cleft Earlobe Using a Combination of the Inverted V-Shaped Excision Technique and Vertical Mattress Suture Method

  • Park, June Kyu (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Myong-Ji Hospital) ;
  • Kim, Kyung Sik (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Myong-Ji Hospital) ;
  • Kim, Seung Hong (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Myong-Ji Hospital) ;
  • Choi, Jun (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Myong-Ji Hospital) ;
  • Yang, Jeong Yeol (Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Myong-Ji Hospital)
  • Received : 2017.08.12
  • Accepted : 2017.11.22
  • Published : 2017.12.20
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Abstract

Traumatic cleft earlobes are a common problem encountered by plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Various techniques have been reported for the repair of traumatic cleft earlobes. Usually, the techniques of split earlobe repair are divided into two categories, namely straight- and broken-line repairs. Straight-line repair is simple and easy, but scar contracture frequently results in notching of the inferior border of the lobule. It can be avoided by the broken-line repair such as Z-plasty, L-plasty, or a V-shaped flap. Between April 2016 and February 2017, six patients who presented with traumatic cleft earlobe underwent surgical correction using a combination of the inverted V-shaped excision technique and vertical mattress suture method. All the patients were female and had a unilateral complete cleft earlobe. No postoperative notching of the inferior border the lobule occurred during 6-16 months of follow-up. Without the use of a broken-line repair, both the patients and the operators attained aesthetically satisfactory results. Therefore, the combination of the inverted V-shaped excision technique and vertical mattress suture method is considered useful in the treatment of traumatic cleft earlobes.

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References

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