Two-Stage Pediatric Ear Reconstruction Using Preserved Native Cartilage After a Dog Bite.

A dog bite causing an auricular avulsion is a rare cause of an outer ear defect. By nature of the high-energy trauma inflicted by canine bites and the anatomic variability of the outer ear, no two such avulsion injuries are the same. If the native cartilage cannot be preserved after trauma, placement of a graft capable of forming grooves and ridges is required to reconstruct the complex anatomy of the outer ear. Such intricacies often make postoperative results cosmetically disappointing. In select cases, the native cartilaginous framework of the avulsed ear segment may be preserved and used in reconstruction. We report a case of a pediatric total auricular avulsion following a dog bite, reconstructed using prelaminated native ear cartilage. After traumatic avulsion of the outer ear when native cartilage is preserved, effective reconstruction can be achieved using a 2-stage technique of native cartilage lamination via posterior auricular pocket formation and placement of a skin graft.