Nonsurgical correction of cryptotia in children older than early neonates

Abstract

Objective:To study the clinical application of nonsurgical correction of cryptotia in children older than 6 months. Methods:The children with cryptotia deformity treated in Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from January 2017 to January 2021 were divided into two groups according to their ages. The study group was over 6 months old and the control group was under 6 months old. They were treated with a Earwell auricle correction system, the follow-up was continued for 3-6 months, and the correction effects, complications and recurrence after the treatment were calculated in the two groups. Results:The average time of the treatment start stage and consolidation stage in the study group was（20.29±7.14） days and（31.82±9.65） days, and respectively the control group was（7.5±3.21） days and（16.64±6.53） days, the difference in treatment time between the two groups was statistically significant（P=0.001）. The effective rate in the study group was 90.91%（20/22）, and the effective rate in the control group was 96.43%（27/28）, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups（P=0.576）. The recovery rate in the study group was 31.82%（7/22）, and the recovery rate in the control group was 85.71%（24/28）, the cure rate of the control group was higher than that of the study group（P=0.002）. Complications occurred in both groups. The most common complications in the study group were skin redness and swelling 18 cases（81.82%） and stent shedding 16 cases（72.73%）, pressure ulcers followed by 12 cases（54.55%）. The most common complication in the control group was skin eczema 9 cases（32.14%）, pressure ulcers 6 cases（21.43%）, stent shedding 5 cases（17.86%）. There was a statistical difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups（P<0.05）. Conclusion:For older children with cryptotia, Earwell correction systems can still be actively tried to correct hidden ears, but only the hidden auricle can be pulled out. Other combined malformations such as helix adhesion, dysplasia of the upper helix, etc. cannot be improved. Before treatment, it is necessary to fully communicate with the parents about possible complications during the treatment process. Encouraging children and parents to insist on wearing the correction system is the key to successful treatment.