Surgical Correction of the Abnormally Protruding Ear

NUMEROUS methods of correcting a protruding auricle have been described, and in the main they are satisfactory for setting the ear closer to the head. However, the object of restorative surgery for any deformity is to reproduce the normal as accurately as possible, a standard which most accepted technics of otoplasty fail to fulfil. An examination of some of the more recently published procedures for the correction of outstanding ears reveals a gradual progression toward the goal of attaining perfection of results. The purpose of this paper is to present an original method of otoplasty which in my experience has yielded results that more satisfactorily simulate the normal, to discuss the underlying factors in the etiology and development of protruding ears and to review the history of the operative procedures. ETIOLOGIC FACTORS Malformations of the auricle are not unusual and may range in severity from complete absence to macrotia. By