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

[Uncorrected Proof]

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 of 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.