ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The earlobe is one of the areas which are most vulnerable to trauma. Various auricular diseases need compression treatment. We report a new compression method using magnetic disks. METHODS: Seventeen patients with auricular diseases were treated from October 2002 to September 2006. The mean age was 29.1 years. The diseases details were osteochondroma in 2 patients; cauliflower's ears in 2 patients; acute otohematoma in 1 patient; and hypertrophic scars in 11 patients. The most common cause of their disease was ear piercing. The mean follow-up period was 8.9 months. All surgical procedures were performed under local anesthesia. To compress immediately, a pair of magnetic disks was applied to the anterior and posterior surface of the earlobe. RESULTS: The results were generally good. Major complications, such as recurrence, necrosis, dehiscence, or infection, did not occur. CONCLUSION: A pair of magnetic disks are useful compression tool in various auricular diseases.