Diagnosis and Prevalence of Prominent Lobules in Otoplasty: Analysis of 120 Patients with Prominent Ears

Background The prominence of the ear lobule is considered an anomaly of secondary importance and receives correspondingly less attention in literature. We reviewed a case series of otoplasty patients and analyzed the prevalence of lobule prominence. Methods Records of otoplasties between 2007 and 2013 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were: (1) primary otoplasties; (2) prominence of both ears; and (3) otoplasties conducted by the main author. Patients were divided into two groups: (1) A general group (GG) containing all the patients, and (2) a lobule correction group (LG)—a subgroup of GG containing only the patients who needed lobule correction. Results From a total of 291 patients, 120 patients were included in GG and 27 patients in LG. There was no statistical difference between groups GG and LG in terms of age and gender. Preoperative diagnosis of lobule prominence was correctly established in 14 patients; 13 patients were diagnosed during surgery. Conclusions Lobule prominence should not be underestimated since its diagnosis may be missed in the preoperative period—nearly 50 % in our case. Also its prevalence (22.5 %) is not as infrequent as some may think. Knowledge of lobule correction techniques before surgery is important to avoid less than optimal results in otoplasty. Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266