Computed tomography-based training model for otoplasty

Otoplasty for the correction of protruding ears is characterized by various techniques and a common and popular cosmetic procedure. For the surgeon, whether beginner or advanced, it is essential to understand the principles and master techniques for standard auricular deformities before applying further sophisticated methods, because a lot of complications and failures are caused by wrong indication and incorrect surgical techniques. The different surgical steps are best learned from teaching models. Therefore, we developed two different silicone models of protruding ears with moderate auricular deformities: one with conchal hyperplasia for the training of conchal resection, and one without antihelix for creating an antihelical fold by suturing technique, based on computed tomography scans of patients. The silicone ear models were evaluated during four standardized surgery courses for residents in otorhinolaryngology by 91 participants using specially designed questionnaires. Nearly all participants rated the training on the auricular models as very helpful (n = 51) or good (n = 31); the scores for the different techniques and properties of the models ranged from 2.0 to 2.6 in a range from 1 (very good) to 4 (inadequate). The good results demonstrate the possibility for learning different surgical otoplasty techniques with this newly designed teaching tool.