Home > Encyclopedia of Surgery > Otoplasty

Definition

Otoplasty refers to a group of plastic surgery procedures done to correct deformities of or disfiguring injuries to the external ear. It is the only type of plastic surgery that is performed more often in children than adults.

Purpose

Otoplastic surgery may done for the following reasons:

• To reconstruct an external ear in children who are born with a partially or completely missing auricle (the visible part of the external ear). This type of birth defect is called microtia; it occurs in such disorders as hemifacial microsomia and Treacher Collins syndrome. Most cases of microtia, however, involve only one ear.
• To correct the appearance of protruding or prominent ears. This procedure is also known as setback otoplasty or pinback otoplasty.
• To...