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Although ear reconstruction technology has been highly developed in recent years, hair growth on the reconstructed ear has plagued both surgeons and patients. In this paper, the authors introduce a clinical application of intense pulsed light depilation in total auricular reconstruction. From August 2012 to August 2013, 27 patients (28 ears) suffering from congenital microtia were treated by intense pulsed light depilation (650-950-nm filter, initial fluence of 14-16 J/cm and gradually increased, pulse width of 30-50 ms, spot size of 20 × 30 mm, intervals of 6-8 weeks, a total of four sessions) either before or after auricular reconstruction. According to the treatment situation at diagnosis, the patients were divided into two groups: the preoperative group and the postoperative group. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of age or initial fluence for hair removal; however, there were less treatments in the former than in the latter group (preoperative group 4.1 ± 0.3, postoperative group 4.7 ± 0.7, F = 9.10, P = 0.006), and the maximum fluence used for hair removal was lower in the former than in the latter group (preoperative group 18-20 J/cm, postoperative group 19-22 J/cm, F = 22.31, P < 0.001). After follow-up for ≥4-6 months, the effective rate was 100% in the preoperative group, and the effective rate was 80% in the postoperative group. Intense pulsed light depilation technology is a reasonable complementary approach to total auricular reconstruction. And preoperative depilation is recommended over postoperative depilation. The non-invasive modern photonic technology can resolve the problem of postoperative residual hair on the reconstructed auricle, improving auricular shape and increasing patient satisfaction. In addition, an adequately set preoperative hair removal area can provide surface skin that is most similar to normal auricle skin for auricular reconstruction.

Meatoplasty with canalplasty and tympanoplasty in individuals with CAS can yield reliable and lasting positive hearing results with a low incidence of severe complications. The existence and preoperative condition of patients' TM and EAC skin helped improve hearing results and decrease the incidence of complications. However, the final hearing results and complications required stricter indications for CAA patients.

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In order to investigate the location of the mastoid portion of the facial nerve in patients with congenital aural atresia and to assess its effect on the round window middle ear implant (MEI) transducer implantation approach, 70 patients with unilateral congenital aural atresia were examined by computer tomography (CT). The patients were divided into two groups based on their ages: 44 patients in Group A (2-12 years) and 26 patients in Group B (13-29 years). CT scans were reviewed for each patient. Based on the CT findings, the mastoid portion of the facial nerve's spatial configuration with respect to the oval and round windows was qualitatively recorded. Additionally, the exact location of the facial nerve was measured quantitatively. The results suggested that of the 70 deformed ears, 57 had facial nerves located at the round window, six at the oval window, and seven at the normal site. Of the 70 normal opposite ears, 63 had facial nerves located at the normal site, and the other seven had facial nerves located at the round window. Based on the quantitative measurements, the mastoid portion of the facial nerve was more anteriorly positioned in the deformed ears: 3.44-6.09 mm more anteriorly located in Group A and 4.35-7.41 mm more anteriorly located in Group B. In conclusion, in patients with congenital aural atresia, the dislocation of the facial nerve could have significant effects on the surgical approach to round window MEI transducer implantation.

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