CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 15Reconstructive Facial Surgery TechniquesCongenital Ear and Nasal AnomaliesCraniofacial Disorders and Treatments

A retrospective analysis of complications and surgical outcome of 1380 ears: experience review of paediatric otoplasty.

Open access
Binet, A., El Ezzi, O., De Buys Roessingh, A.·2020·International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
DOI 10.1016/j.ijporl.2020.110302
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

AIM OF THE STUDY: The psychological benefits of successful surgery for prominent ears have been emphasised. However, there are few comprehensive reports in the literature on the incidence of complications. The aim of this retrospective study is to present the postoperative outcome and possible recurrence of prominent ears after otoplasty in a University Hospital Center. METHODS: A total of 705 patients were followed after otoplasty. We carried out a retrospective review of the file that included all children who had been treated for prominent ears following the same surgical technique from January 01, 1993 to December 31, 2017, and made a descriptive analysis of the data. MAIN RESULTS: Our study confirmed the prevalence of females in operative treatment of PE, as well as the predominance of the bilateral form of this anomaly. Postoperative complications were recorded in 3.7% of the children (n = 26). 16 patients (2.2%) developed hypertrophic scar complications that required surgical revision in all cases, classifying them as 3b according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. Nine patients (1.3%) required surgical revision for recurrence (Clavien-Dindo 3b). Recurrence, unlike scarring complications, seems to be dependent on the surgeon's experience. A family history was noted in 20% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: The otoplasty technique showed here is safe and has a low rate of the complications commonly described in the literature. A prospective study with a survey of complications and degree of satisfaction with the results will follow.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.ijporl.2020.110302

Cites

25 of 25 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Direct placement of sutures beneath the skin may increase the risk of long-term complications, such as suture extrusion and recurrence.

    “Although this technique effectively repositions the auricle closer to the mastoid region, direct placement of sutures beneath the skin may increase the risk of long-term complications, such as suture extrusion and recurrence [12,14].”

    From Comparative Analysis of Mustardé, Fascioperichondrial Flap, and Combined Otoplasty Techniques: Clinical Outcomes and Recurrence Rates in 365 Patients (2025) · cites this paper as [14]

    The Discussion (page not available) reports that suture-based techniques have a higher incidence of revision surgery for recurrence, supporting that part of the claim. The Surgical procedure section (page not available) says this study placed sutures through the perichondrium while avoiding the anterior skin. Our copy does not link sutures placed directly beneath the skin to complications or report suture extrusion as a long-term risk. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Reported complications of cartilage-sparing techniques include suture extrusion, granuloma formation, and recurrence rates of up to 25%.

    “Nonetheless, these techniques are not without drawbacks. Reported complications include suture extrusion, granuloma formation, and recurrence rates of up to 25% [12,13,14].”

    From Comparative Analysis of Mustardé, Fascioperichondrial Flap, and Combined Otoplasty Techniques: Clinical Outcomes and Recurrence Rates in 365 Patients (2025) · cites this paper as [14]

    The Discussion reports that suture-based techniques have a higher incidence of recurrence requiring revision surgery. It does not report suture extrusion, granuloma formation, or a recurrence rate of up to 25% (searched: extrusion, granuloma, 25%). (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Complications were graded using the Clavien-Dindo scale, a validated tool for assessing surgical complications that has been used to assess postoperative complications of otoplasty.

    “Any complications were graded using the Clavien-Dindo scale. 31 This is a validated tool for assessing surgical complications, and has been used to assess postoperative complications of otoplasty. 32,33”

    From Further Refinements in Otoplasty Surgery: A Modified Approach to Prevent Suture Extrusion in Cartilage-Suturing Otoplasty Using a Postauricular Dermofascial Flap (2024) · cites this paper as [33]

    The Data collection and analysis section says the authors reviewed otoplasty complications using the Clavien-Dindo classification, and the Results assign specific complications grade 3b. Our copy does not establish the separate claim that the scale is validated. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Many studies and prior meta-analyses confirmed otoplasty's safety.

    “Many studies and prior meta-analyses confirmed otoplasty’s safety, though incisionless techniques had higher blistering (22.6%) and suture extrusion (21.9%).104–108”

    From Otoplasty Surgical Techniques and Clinical Outcomes: A Practical Review (2026) · cites this paper as [106]

    The Abstract and Discussion conclude that the posterior otoplasty technique studied in this pediatric cohort appears safe, with complications recorded in 3.7% of children. This single retrospective study does not establish that many studies or prior meta-analyses confirmed the safety of otoplasty generally; it also does not report the incisionless-technique percentages in the citing sentence. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Incisionless techniques had higher blistering, at 22.6%.

    “Many studies and prior meta-analyses confirmed otoplasty’s safety, though incisionless techniques had higher blistering (22.6%) and suture extrusion (21.9%).104–108”

    From Otoplasty Surgical Techniques and Clinical Outcomes: A Practical Review (2026) · cites this paper as [106]

    The Results section reports recurrence and hypertrophic scarring after the paper’s otoplasty procedure, while the Discussion compares some complications across techniques. Neither section reports blistering with incisionless techniques or a 22.6% rate; searches for “blistering,” “incisionless,” and “22.6” found no supporting passage in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. J. Dieffenbach, Die operative chirurgie. Leipzig: FA brockhaus; 1845, in: Cited by Tanzer RC. Deformities of the Auricle. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, second ed., WB Saunders, Philadelphia, 1977, p. 1710.
  2. M. Spira, Reduction Otoplasty. The Unfavorable Result in Plastic Surgery, Little Brown, Boston, 1984, pp. 307-323.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Binet, A., El Ezzi, O., & De Buys Roessingh, A.
Affiliations
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CH)
Corresponding author
Binet, A.
ORCID
Binet, A.
Venue
International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-11
Volume
138
Pages
110302
ISSN
0165-5876 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.ijporl.2020.110302
OpenAlex
W3047938418
Cited by
15
References
25
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3
FWCI
1.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • IRIS (submittedVersion)
  • SERVAL (Université de Lausanne) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Reconstructive Facial Surgery Techniques
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Genetics › Congenital Ear and Nasal Anomalies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Craniofacial Disorders and Treatments
Keywords
prominent ears, postoperative complications, hypertrophic scars, recurrence, surgical revision, Clavien-Dindo classification, surgeon experience, family history (medicine), cosmetic surgery outcomes
MeSH terms
Child, Ear, External, Female, Humans, Retrospective Studies, Treatment Outcome, Plastic Surgery Procedures

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review