ASPO034 - Noninvasive Ear Molding in the Correction of Ear Anomalies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Saturday, April 30, 2022
1:55 PM – 2:30 PM CT
Location: Landmark B
Elias S. Saba, M.D.1, Stanley Mui, M.D.2, Luke Schloegel, M.D.1;
1Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Kaiser Permanente Oakland, Oakland, CA, 2Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, Oakland, CA.
Introduction: Ear molding has been used for the treatment of congenital external ear anomalies. The purpose of this study is to systematically review ear molding therapy and perform a meta-analysis to determine its efficacy in the correction of various ear anomalies.
Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature was performed using the PubMed and Embase databases from January 2009 to January 2021. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they evaluated noninvasive ear molding for congenital ear anomalies, featured at least 50 ears, and were published in English.
Results: 15 studies (one RCT and 14 clinical series) with a total of 1,729 children undergoing molding of 2,508 ears were identified and included in the meta-analysis. The most common ear molding device was EarWell. Meta-analysis of the twelve studies with reported success rates as determined by clinician assessment showed an overall success rate in 87.4% of ears. Meta-analysis of the five studies with reported efficacy as assessed by laypersons showed an overall success rate of 92%. All studies reported a variety of minor skin-related complications in the ear, such as eczema, excoriation, infection, irritation, rash (allergic or nonallergic), and ulceration. Generally, complications were not reported to be serious and were noted to resolve with minimal to no intervention.
Conclusion: To the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the largest systematic review and meta-analysis analyzing the efficacy of ear molding. A review of the 15 studies included suggests that ear molding is an effective and safe treatment for congenital ear anomalies with a high success rate. However, the strength of this body of evidence is reduced by a lack of comparative studies, heterogeneous patient populations, treatment protocols, and ear assessment scales.