Surgical repair of cleft earlobes caused by pressure necrosis: A patient record review describing clinical and operative characteristics at a tertiary referral hospital in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Plastic surgeons encounter cleft earlobes as either congenital or acquired lesions. This retrospective report details the cases of 12 patients with earlobe clefts, only 1 of which was a congenital cleft, managed at a teaching hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, over 18 months. Nine patients in this series were children ≤2 years of age, and 3 were adults in their 20s or 30s. Eight patients presented with pressure necrosis from gold-plated stud earrings, and 3 patients had traction injuries from hoop earrings. According to the Blanco-Dávila and Vásconez classification system, 1 patient had a type I cleft, 6 patients had type II clefts, and 5 patients had type III clefts. The corrective techniques employed were the Pardue method (n=2), Z-plasty (n=5), and a combination (n=5) of the Pardue and Z-plasty methods. Immediate surgical outcomes were favourable; however, all patients were lost to follow-up.