Pinnaplasty

Neil has a particular specialist interest in surgery of the external ear and is a very experienced pinnaplasty surgeon. One of his specialist interests is reconstructive surgery of the ear and in his NHS practice he is the reconstructive surgeon to the multidisciplinary clinic at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital for children with external ear abnormalities.

Information for patients and carers

What is a pinnaplasty?

This is an operation to correct overly prominent ears. There are a number of techniques which are employed to do this and the steps required differ from patient to patient. The problem and what is required to fix it will be discussed in detail at your appointment.

What age is appropriate for surgery?

This is an operation where waiting until the age of 5 or 6 is best.

What is involved in surgery?

Surgery takes about an hour and is done under general anaesthetic. Your child will have a head bandage on afterwards which should stay on for 3 days. There is a small incision on the back of the ear which is closed with dissolvable stitches- no removal of stitches is required.

What after care is required?

The bandage should come off after 3 days. After that time you should keep the ears dry for a week. Your child should be able to return to school after 2 weeks and to normal activities, apart from contact sports, then. I would advise avoiding contact sports for 4 weeks.

What are the risks of surgery?

The risks of surgery are very small and Neil will discuss these with you in detail. In a very small number of children the sutures used to correct the prominence can come out and the operation can need to be repeated. There is a tiny risk of getting some infection or a blood clot in the ear after surgery and this, if not treated properly can lead to permanent damage to the cartilage of the ear. This is exceptionally rare.