Ear mold for congenital ear malformation: A randomized controlled trial

A novel method to accurately locate the reconstructed auricle

BACKGROUND

Congenital microtia is a common congenital disease in children, the cause of which is still unclear. At present, the main treatment for congenital microtia is ear reconstruction. Accurately locating of the reconstructed ear on the affected side before ear reconstruction surgery is difficult, while it is the key of successful operation. Our ear reconstruction team has developed a novel method to accurately locate the reconstructed auricle. This novel method has achieved good results in clinical practice.

METHODS

Thirty patients with unilateral ear reconstruction, who underwent auricle reconstruction using our invented auricle reconstruction positioning method in the Plastic Surgery Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2020 to July 2021, were enrolled in this study.

RESULTS

Through Wilcoxon signed rank test, we found that there was no statistical difference between the mean distance from the highest point of the patient's normal ear to the central axis of the nose and that from the highest point of the reconstructed ear to the central axis of the nose (P>0.05). Meanwhile, there was no statistical difference between the mean distance from the lowest point of the patient's normal ear to the central axis of the nose and that from the lowest point of the reconstructed ear to the central axis of the nose (P>0.05). The satisfaction rate of patients and their families to the location of the reconstructed auricle was 100%.

CONCLUSIONS

The novel method of locating the reconstructed auricle employs simple materials. The implementation process is easy, and the effect is significant. To a certain extent, it solves the difficulty of locating the reconstructed auricle in ear reconstruction operation. Although this method can only be applied to patients with unilateral microtia, we recommend it for locating the reconstructed auricle by every plastic surgeon.

Quality of life of parents with children with congenital abnormalities: a systematic review with meta-analysis of assessment methods and levels of quality of life

PURPOSE

To quantify and understand how to assess the quality of life and health-related QoL of parents with children with congenital abnormalities.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis. The search was carried out in 5 bibliographic databases and in ClinicalTrials.gov. No restriction on language or date of publication was applied. This was complemented by references of the studies found and studies of evidence synthesis, manual search of abstracts of relevant congresses/scientific meetings and contact with experts. We included primary studies (observational, quasi-experimental and experimental studies) on parents of children with CA reporting the outcome quality of life (primary outcome) of parents, independently of the intervention/exposure studied.

RESULTS

We included 75 studies (35 observational non-comparatives, 31 observational comparatives, 4 quasi-experimental and 5 experimental studies). We identified 27 different QoL instruments. The two most frequently used individual QoL instruments were WHOQOL-Bref and SF-36. Relatively to family QoL tools identified, we emphasized PedsQL FIM, IOFS and FQOL. Non-syndromic congenital heart defects were the CA most frequently studied. Through the analysis of comparative studies, we verified that parental and familial QoL were impaired in this population.

CONCLUSIONS

This review highlights the relevance of assessing QoL in parents with children with CA and explores the diverse QoL assessment tools described in the literature. Additionally, results indicate a knowledge gap that can help to draw new paths to future research. It is essential to assess QoL as a routine in healthcare providing and to implement strategies that improve it.