Postauricular trilobed skin flap for reconstruction of postauricular sulcus

Abstract.

Restoration of anatomical structures to their original shape and position is one of the most important principles in reconstructive surgery. Successful reconstruction of postauricular defects can be accomplished using tissue that recreates the postauricular/temporal anatomy with skin of satisfactory texture and color. A 56-year-old woman had a postauricular basal cell carcinoma resected with the underlying cartilage. An inferiorly based trilobed skin flap was used to close the postauricular defect and to restore the postauricular sulcus. There were no early and late complications. Although many postauricular flaps have been described, there is no description of postauricular reconstruction using this specific flap. The trilobed flap created adequate coverage to the postauricular region. Most importantly, it restored the postauricular sulcus and the middle third of the ear following the basal cell carcinoma resection.