Preauricular pits in Hungary: epidemiologic and clinical observations.

The incidence of preauricular pits was 0.47% in 6766 unselected white Hungarian neonates and 0.30% in 7215 hospitalized children. In the majority of the cases the fistulae were unilateral and right sided. Familial occurrence was never associated with major congenital disorders, whereas in one-third of the sporadic cases, serious congenital anomalies could be detected. Sporadic preauricular pits should be regarded as minor malformations of great significance in discovering hidden disorders and in syndrome identification.