Problems encountered in contouring a reconstructed ear of autogenous cartilage.

One-hundred and sixty-six patients were followed up for a year following transplantation of costal cartilage, and we studied the relationship between the clarity of contours of the reconstructed ear and the condition of the scar on the anterior chest following removal of the cartilage. The contours of the reconstructed ear were evaluated on a four-point scale, and the condition of the scar on the anterior chest was evaluated on a three-point scale. Our results showed that in patients with a predisposition to develop wide or hypertrophic scars on the anterior chest, the contours of the ears were often observed to be poorly defined.