Chondrocutaneous transposition flap for congenital tragal malformation with dystopic cartilage

ABSTRACT

Due to the variety in the shape of dysmorphic cartilage, tragus reconstruction is one of the most challenging goals in otoplasty. The authors describe a method to reconstruct a prominent tragus in a simple way suitable for accounting for the size, shape, and location of the remaining ear. We present a case of tragus deformity in an 11-year-old female patient after a previous excision of pretragal skin tags. There was a small remnant of the deeply located dystopic cartilage in a horizontal orientation. The dystopic cartilage was used to reconstruct the tragus using a chondrocutaneous transposition flap. Only a small portion of the pre-existing cartilage was used to create a chondrocutaneous transposition flap that supplemented the portion of cartilage during tragus reconstruction. The result was a new tragus that showed acceptable improvement in shape, location, and projection. Patients with a small portion of pre-existing cartilage near the tragal wall may benefit from the use of this method for tragus reconstruction.