Cryptotia

Abstract: Background It has been suggested that there is a close association of abnormality in auricular muscles with various congenital auricular deformities. However, there has been no investigation to determine what muscles are involved and how they affect the deformity. The authors examined abnormalities of auricular muscles for patients with various auricular deformities. Methods The authors examined 77 auricles of 62 patients with congenital auricular deformities, including cryptotia, Stahl's ear, prominent ear, lop ear, and others. The superior and posterior auricular muscles from the extrinsic auricular muscle group and the auricular oblique and transverse muscles from the auricular intrinsic muscle group were investigated. Results The authors found characteristic features of the abnormality of the muscle for each auricular deformity. In nearly all cases of cryptotia, abnormality was found in the superior auricular, auricular oblique, and auricular transverse muscles. Abnormal insertion was found mainly in the superior auricular muscle and was the main cause of cryptotia. In Stahl's ear, the major abnormality was abnormal insertion of the auricular transverse muscle, which creates an abnormal cartilaginous prominence in the scapha. The abnormality in cases of prominent ear was clearly limited mostly to the auricular transverse muscle and, in some cases, to the posterior auricular muscle. In lop ear, abnormality was mostly found in the auricular transverse muscle, with elongation, and in the superior auricular or auricular oblique muscle in some cases. Conclusions There is a tendency for a specific muscle abnormality to be found in each deformity. It is important to identify the abnormal muscle and correct the abnormality during the operation.

Abstract: The embryology of the ear provides insight into the fundamentals of surgical reconstruction and support to the concepts that guide our approaches to complete excision of redundant elements The external ear develops from ectodermal and mesodermal elements of the first and second branchial arches Anomalies of the ear may therefore reflect abnormal development of other first and second arch structures Accurate recognition of syndromic ear anomalies also allows for the potential detection of other systemic conditions The authors discuss the embryology of the auricle; external auditory canal; dysmorphogenesis of the auricle; auricular pits, cysts, and sinuses; microtia; anomalies of the antihelical cartilage; protruding ears; cryptotia, anomalies of the external auditory canal; and syndromic ear anomalies