Ohrmuscheldystopie, Ohrmuscheldysplasie und Ohrmuschelmißbildung—Klinische Wertung und Bedeutung als Symptom

Abstract

The normal and the anomalous human auricle was for a long time far more the object of physionomic investigations than of scientific medicine. At present clinical medicine pays slightly more attention to it especially in connection with modern syndromatology. A surprising number of complex syndromes of dysplasia and deformity can be shown to be associated with dystopia and/or dysplasia of the external ear. At times anomalies of the auricle can be a cardinal symptom or give diagnosticly important hints. The systematic apprehension of dystopia, dysplasia and deformities of the auricle still gives rise to a number of difficulties: The terminology is not clearly defined; the normal measurements and the physiological variations there of have not been established; furthermore practicable, clinically tested systems for measurement and documentation are missing to most extend. The variety and variability of all the characteristics of the auricle hampers analysis and interpretation. Paying attention the mechanics of development as well as phylogenetic and ontogenetic points of view helps understanding them. Among the anomalies of the auricle there are anomalies of insertion and position (dystopia), of form and relief (dysplasia) and of size and proportion. Methods suitable to record the unique characteristics are given. A “standard ear”, a product of a special photographic technique, may be used to ascertain normality and analyse qualitatively and quantitatively the type of dysplasia of the auricle. Finally the correlation between dystopia and dysplasia of the auricle on one hand and the different clinical syndromes on the other are investigated more closely. The knowledge and observation of some anomalies typical for a syndrome can be demonstrated to be most helpful to clinical diagnostics. At the same time it is suggested to observe the anomalies of the auricle more closely than has been done up to now, even though they may be slight and alone by themselves not constitute an impairment of health. Only systematic data on the broadest basis can relieve the at present still existing lack of information about the syndromatological and syntropic connections between anomalies of the auricle and disorders of other organs. Only then reliable statistical correlations can be made, and the diagnostic validities can be judged better than today.