Otoplasty (or pinnaplasty) is a general term for operations to correct or change the shape of the external ear, or "pinna".
In general, it is commonly done to correct prominent ears.
Patients with prominent ears tend to have one or both of two problems:
- Absent or under-developed anti-helical folds
- Deep conchal bowels
These are easily corrected in otoplasty surgery. Other problems are not addressed in routine otoplasty. These include assymetry due to mal-position of the external ear on the head (too low) or gross size (as opposed to prominence) of the external ear.
The picture below shows an ear with absent anti-helical fold, the drawn line showing where the fold should be.
