Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, UK.
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2011 Jan;64(1):41-7. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2010.04.005. Epub 2010 May 5.
We examined variations in the shape of the human ear according to age, sex and ethnic group with particular attention to ear prominence.
420 volunteers were recruited. Measurements included; head height and length, ear height and axis, antihelix taken off angle, earlobe length and width, ear width at the helical root and tragus. Prominence was measured at the helical root and tragus (conchomastoid angle, conchal bowl depth and helical-mastoid distance).
Good symmetry was shown for all measurements. Ethnically Indian volunteers had the largest ears (both length and width), followed by Caucasians, and Afro-Caribbeans. This trend was significant in males (p<0.001), but not significant in females (p=0.087). Ears increased in size throughout life. Subjectively, only 2% of volunteers felt their ears were prominent compared to 10% in the opinion of the principal investigator. No objective measurements were identified that accurately predicted subjective perceptions of prominence.
We found consistent trends in ear morphology depending on ethnic group, age and sex. Our study was unable to define an objective method for assessing ear prominence. Decisions about what constitutes a prominent ear should be left to personal and aesthetic choice.
我们研究了人类耳朵的形状根据年龄、性别和种族的变化，特别关注耳朵的突出度。
招募了 420 名志愿者。测量包括头部高度和长度、耳朵高度和轴线、对耳轮下线角度、耳垂长度和宽度、耳轮根部和耳屏宽度、耳轮和对耳轮之间的宽度（耳轮脚-耳屏角、耳甲腔深度和耳轮-乳突距离）。突出度测量在耳轮脚和耳屏（耳甲-乳突角、耳甲腔深度和耳轮-乳突距离）。
所有测量均显示出良好的对称性。印度裔志愿者的耳朵最大（长度和宽度均最大），其次是白种人和非裔加勒比人。这种趋势在男性中很显著（p<0.001），但在女性中不显著（p=0.087）。耳朵在一生中会逐渐增大。主观上，只有 2%的志愿者认为自己的耳朵突出，而主要研究者认为有 10%的志愿者认为自己的耳朵突出。没有发现能够准确预测主观突出感的客观测量方法。
我们发现耳朵形态存在一致的趋势，取决于种族、年龄和性别。我们的研究无法定义一种客观的方法来评估耳朵的突出度。对什么是突出的耳朵的定义应该留给个人和审美选择。
