Correction of Earlobe Cleft With Tongue-in-Groove Technique

Cleft earlobe is a common surgical problem, which can be easily managed in an outpatient setting. There are various surgical techniques to repair this condition. Our method, the "tongue-in-groove technique'' for the cleft earlobe repair, composed of 3 right-angled Z-plasties on the anterior, inferior, and posterior surfaces of the earlobe, is described. Between January 2007 and January 2010, a total of 13 patients presenting earlobe cleft underwent surgical correction using this tongue-in-groove technique. All patients were women and had a traumatic complete cleft earlobe. The lesions were unilateral in all cases: 8 women had left-side lesion, and 5 women had a right-side lesion. The patients have been followed up for a period ranging from 6 months to 3 years after the operation. All patients healed uneventfully, without any complications. The resulting scar was minimal and aesthetically acceptable. Cleft earlobe is the most common complication of the ear that requires surgical correction. We introduce our method, the tongue-in-groove technique, which is aesthetically acceptable, preserves more volume of the earlobe, and is easy to perform.