2017-18 HSC Section 4 Green Book

Volume 135, Number 3 • Newborn Ear Molding

interfere with breastfeeding, irritate the baby, or cause negative public attention. By avoiding otoplasty, children are not only escaping potentially serious complications, they are also circumventing years of psychological harm. Seventy-two percent of parents surveyed reported that they believed that the deformity would ultimately cause severe psychological harm to their child, which may be partially because of an increased awareness in the media of children being bullied in schools because of their defor- mities. This heightened awareness has a scien- tific foundation; studies have demonstrated that individuals with minor deformities experienced greater psychological torment than those with more severe facial deformities, and that surgical correction of ear deformities enhances self-con- fidence, increases social experience, and reduces bullying. 1,2,19 CONCLUSIONS The molding period can be reduced from 6 to 8 weeks to 2 weeks by initiating molding dur- ing the first weeks of life and using a more secure and rigid device. Through an interdisciplinary approach, we were able to identify patients with ear deformities in the newborn nursery, correct- ing the deformity earlier and faster than has been previously published. Pediatricians and other health care professionals involved in the care of infants should be aware of this noninvasive, practi- cal, and reliable technique, which has the poten- tial to prevent future surgical intervention and psychological trauma. Melissa A. Doft, M.D. 755 Park Avenue New York, N.Y. 10021 md@doftplasticsurgery.com references 1. Bradbury ET, Hewison J, Timmons MJ. Psychological and social outcome of prominent ear correction in children. Br J Plast Surg . 1992;45:97–100. 2. Horlock N, Vögelin E, Bradbury ET, Grobbelaar AO, Gault DT. Psychosocial outcome of patients after ear

reconstruction: A retrospective study of 62 patients. Ann Plast Surg . 2005;54:517–524. 3. Byrd HS, Langevin CJ, Ghidoni LA. Ear molding in new- born infants with auricular deformities. Plast Reconstr Surg . 2010;126:1191–1200. 4. Leonardi A, Bianca C, Basile E, et al. Neonatal molding in deformational auricular anomalies. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci . 2012;16:1554–1558. 5. Tan ST, Abramson DL, MacDonald DM, Mulliken JB. Molding therapy for infants with deformational auricular anomalies. Ann Plast Surg . 1997;38:263–268. 6. Zambudio G, Guirao MJ, Sánchez JM, Girón O, Ruiz JI, Gutiérrez MA. Nonsurgical correction of congenital auric- ular deformities: A new method of neonatal molding and splinting (in Spanish). Cir Pediatr . 2007;20:139–142. 7. Yotsuyanagi T, Yokoi K, Urushidate S, Sawada Y. Nonsurgical correctionofcongenitalauriculardeformitiesinchildrenolder than early neonates. Plast Reconstr Surg . 1998;101:907–914. 8. van Wijk MP, Breugem CC, Kon M. Non-surgical correction of congenital deformities of the auricle: A systematic review of the literature. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg . 2009;62:727–736. 9. Ullmann Y, Blazer S, Ramon Y, Blumenfeld I, Peled IJ. Early nonsurgical correction of congenital auricular deformities. Plast Reconstr Surg . 2002;109:907–913; discussion 914. 10. Matsuo K, Hirose T, Tomono T, et al. Nonsurgical correction of congenital auricular deformities in the early neonate: A preliminary report. Plast Reconstr Surg . 1984;73:38–51. 11. Kurozumi N, Ono S, Ishida H. Non-surgical correction of a congenital lop ear deformity by splinting with Reston foam. Br J Plast Surg . 1982;35:181–182. 12. Nakajima T, Yoshimura Y, Kami T. Surgical and conservative repair of Stahl’s ear. Aesthetic Plast Surg . 1984;8:101–107. 13. Smith W, Toye J, Reid A, Smith R. Nonsurgical correction of congenital ear abnormalities in the newborn: Case series. Paediatr Child Health 2005;10:327–331. 14. Muraoka M, Nakai Y, Ohashi Y, Sasaki T, Maruoka K, Furukawa M. Tape attachment therapy for correction of congenital malformations of the auricle: Clinical and experi- mental studies. Laryngoscope 1985;95:167–176. 15. Hall A, Ahmed T, Mehta D, Daya H. Customised ear moulds: A viable alternative to cosmetic ear surgery. Arch Dis Child . 2012;97:335. 16. Kubba H, Swan IR, Gatehouse S. The Glasgow Children’s Benefit Inventory: A new instrument for assessing health- related benefit after an intervention. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol . 2004;113:980–986. 17. Raat H, Landgraf JM, Oostenbrink R, Moll HA, Essink-Bot ML. Reliability and validity of the Infant and Toddler Quality of Life Questionnaire (ITQOL) in a general population and respiratory disease sample. Qual Life Res . 2007;16:445–460. 18. Merlob P, Eshel Y, Mor N. Splinting therapy for congenital auricular deformities with the use of soft material. J Perinatol . 1995;15:293–296. 19. Tan KH. Long-term survey of prominent ear surgery: A com- parison of two methods. Br J Plast Surg . 1986;39:270–273.

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