Correction of Congenital Transverse Cleft of the Earlobe

Abstract

Congenital cleft earlobe is classified into longitudinal, transverse, triple, and defective types. The transverse type is rare. We report an 11-year-old girl with a transverse cleft of the earlobe that was corrected with a dermofat graft and a de-epithelialized tongue flap. The anterior (superior) and posterior (inferior) lobes of the transverse cleft were divided. Dermofat tissue from the ipsilateral retroauricular area was grafted between the lobes, and an anterior de-epithelialized (tongue) flap was inset in addition. Dermofat graft and de-epithelialized flap were applied effectively to a soft tissue defect in a congenital cleft of the earlobe. The shape and contour of the earlobe were then acceptable. Congenital transverse cleft of the earlobe can be corrected by supplementing a soft tissue defect with a dermofat graft and a de-epithelialized flap.