Microsurgical replantation of an ear in a child without venous repair
Case report with literature review published in Plast Reconstr Surg (1998)
Abstract
Ear amputation can leave a devastating deformity; the application of microsurgical replantation techniques has allowed very favorable aesthetic outcomes when successful. We report a case of ear replantation in a child in whom a venous repair was not performed; instead medicinal leeches were used to decompress the ear in the immediate postoperative setting. This represents the third reported case of successful ear replantation without microsurgical venous anastomosis. A review of the literature reveals the high incidence of venous congestion requiring external decompression (57 percent) and the very high rate of salvage (80 percent) after replantation. Surgeons attempting ear replantation should be aware of the high rate of ear survival in the situation of no venous outflow (with appropriate decompression techniques) and should not abandon attempts at replantation because of the inability to establish venous outflow microsurgically.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
A child's amputated ear was replanted without microsurgical venous repair; medicinal leeches decompressed venous congestion postoperatively, the third such successful case reported. A literature review found a 57% incidence of venous congestion requiring external decompression and an 80% salvage rate after replantation.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This case report describes ear replantation in a child without microsurgical venous anastomosis, where medicinal leeches were used for postoperative venous decompression. This represents the third reported case of successful ear replantation without venous repair, and the authors note a literature-derived 57% incidence of venous congestion requiring decompression and 80% salvage rate with appropriate techniques. This case demonstrates leech therapy as a salvage strategy when venous outflow cannot be surgically established in ear replantation. This is a single case report, and the 57% and 80% figures are drawn from the authors' literature review rather than a systematic analysis. No details of leech therapy duration or complications from leeching are provided in the abstract.
Citation
Reference (Vancouver style)
Concannon MJ, Puckett CL. Microsurgical replantation of an ear in a child without venous repair. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1998;102(6):2088-2093; discussion 2094-6. doi:10.1097/00006534-199811000-00042. PMID: 9811007
Bibliographic details (authors, volume, pages, DOI) are taken from the PubMed record.
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