Can diathermy enhance scoring in otoplasty?

Abstract

The use of diathermy – monopolar and bipolar – in scoring the auricular cartilage has been shown to produce comparable effects in deflecting segments of auricular cartilage, as with scalpel scoring. The authors discuss the clinical problem of auricular anomalies, classification of auricular anomalies, deformational abnormalities: the prominent ear, management of the prominent ear and cartilage weakening showing scalpel versus diathermy cartilage scoring. Through porcine studies the authors showed that there is no significant difference between scalpel scoring and diathermy scoring in terms of ability to produce predictable topographical changes to whole porcine auricular cartilage.