The Stenström technique or method is otoplastic surgery (

otoplasty Otoplasty ( el, οὖς, , "ear" + , , "to shape") denotes the surgical and non-surgical procedures for correcting the deformities and defects of the pinna (external ear), and for reconstructing a defective, or deformed, or absent external ear, co ...

) for pinning protruding ears. The method belongs together with the

Mustardé technique The Mustardé technique is an otoplastic surgery (otoplasty) for pinning protruding ears. The method belongs together with the Stenström and Converse methods to the traditional otoplasties. It is antihelix plastic surgery performed with the sutur ...

and the

Converse technique The Converse technique, together with the Mustardé technique and Stenström technique, belongs to the standard methods of traditional otoplasty Otoplasty ( el, οὖς, , "ear" + , , "to shape") denotes the surgical and non-surgical procedures f ...

to the traditional or conventional otoplasties.

History

The technique of this surgery was described by Stenström in 1963 and was slightly altered by him in 1973.

Surgical method

This is a plastic surgery of the

antihelix The antihelix (anthelix) is a part of the visible ear; the pinna. The antihelix is a curved prominence of cartilage parallel with and in front of the helix on the pinna. The antihelix divides above into two ''legs'' or crura; the ''crura antiheli ...

that is carried out with the scratch or scoring technique. Underlying this method is the evidence that the cartilage bends itself convexly to the opposite side after scratching or scoring. A long incision is made on the back of the ear and a strip of skin is removed. Through an incision in the cartilage in the cauda helicis (lower end of the ear cartilage) or in the scapha the skin, together with the

perichondrium The perichondrium (from Greek el, περί, peri, around, label=none and el, χόνδρος, chondros, cartilage, label=none) is a layer of dense irregular connective tissue that surrounds the cartilage of developing bone. It consists of two sep ...

is raised on the anterior surface of the antihelix. A rasp is inserted in the resulting skin-perichondrium tunnel to blindly score or scratch the cartilage of the anterior (front side) of the antihelix. The skin wound on the back of the ear is sutured and finally a bandage is applied for 1 or 2 weeks, or longer in exceptional cases. The hollows of the ear on the front (anterior) side of the ear (cavum conchae, scapha) are modelled with ointment-containing swabs for several days and supported this way. According to the opinion of Weerda Weerda, H. (2007). Surgery of the Auricle. Thieme Medical Publishers, this method is not suitable for older patients due to the limited elasticity of the cartilage.

Complications

According to Weerda: cosmetically disfiguring cartilage edges along the anterior surface of the antihelix if the cartilage is scratched or scored too deeply or is injured; post-operative bleeding; haematoma; relapse (ears protrude again); too closely pinned ear;

hypertrophic scar A hypertrophic scar is a cutaneous condition characterized by deposits of excessive amounts of collagen which gives rise to a raised scar, but not to the degree observed with keloids. Like keloids, they form most often at the sites of pimples, body ...

;

keloid Keloid, also known as keloid disorder and keloidal scar, is the formation of a type of scar which, depending on its maturity, is composed mainly of either type III (early) or type I (late) collagen. It is a result of an overgrowth of granulation t ...

; hypersensitivity; pressure damage (

necrosis Necrosis () is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis. Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, or trauma which result in the unregulated dige ...

) if hard bandages are applied too tightly;

perichondritis Perichondritis is inflammation of the perichondrium, a layer of connective tissue which surrounds cartilage. A common form, auricular perichondritis (''perichondritis auriculae'') involves infection of the pinna due to infection of traumatic or s ...

(inflammation of the cartilage); stronger asymmetry of the ears.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stenstrom technique Ear surgery