Needle Scoring in Otoplasty: A Basic Technique for Improving Aesthetic Outcomes

Background: Prominent ears are a prevalent aesthetic concern, with numerous surgical techniques utilized in otoplasty procedures, without a widely approved gold standard. Traditional methods often leave residual deformities, reducing patient satisfaction.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective case series analysis involving 38 patients (30 Female, 8 Male) who underwent otoplasty to correct prominent ears for aesthetic purposes from January 2019 to December 2022. Our surgical technique combines mattress sutures to create an antihelical fold with needle scoring along the new helix and antihelix curve in a supra-cartilaginous plane.

Results: Outcomes were evaluated in 38 patients with a minimum follow-up period of 12 months. No major or minor complications were reported. No prominence relapses were identified. Patient satisfaction was consistently high, with aesthetic outcomes rated as 8.7 by the surgical team and 9.2 by the patients on average.

Conclusions: Needle scoring proves to be an effective adjunctive technique in otoplasty, addressing residual ear deformities and mitigating tissue tension that may arise during the procedure. Consequently, needle scoring emerges as a valuable approach to optimize patient satisfaction in both short-term and long-term follow-up.

Level of evidence iv: 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 .