Radiofrequency tissue volume reduction for treatment of auricle keloids.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Keloids are often refractive to treatment, and recurrences occur quite frequently. Radiofrequency tissue volume reduction (RFTVR) is a surgical technology that induces extensive fibrosis at the target tissues. METHODS: We applied RFTVR in 14 patients (19 auricles, 5 patients treated bilaterally; 9 female, 5 male; range, 10-66 years) with keloids of the auricle. Keloids were located at the earlobe in 4 patients (5 auricles), helix in 9 patients (12 auricles), and at both earlobe and helix in 1 patient (2 auricles). In 6 patients (8 auricles) RFTVR was the sole treatment modality applied, and in 7 patients (10 auricles) intralesional steroid injection was also performed. Patients underwent one to seven sessions of RFTVR. Patients were followed up between 2 and 92 months postoperatively (median, 24.5 months). RESULTS: Good cosmetic results were achieved in 10 of 14 patients (13 auricles). Three patients (5 auricles) were refractive to treatment, and 1 patient (1 auricle) showed progressive disease despite treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Radiofrequency tissue volume reduction may be considered as a new, minimally invasive treatment option for keloids of the auricle.

Jewelry-induced diseases of the head and neck.

The desire to modify a person's outer appearance is a phenomenon that can be traced back to the beginning of humankind. Body modifications have been practiced among all cultures around the globe to differing extents. The authors present medical complications through jewelry in a series of 35 consecutive patients. Patient charts were evaluated for age, gender, type and sequelae of injury, complications, and treatment results. The male-to-female ratio was 1:2.2. Most of the recorded complications were related to the new vogue of piercing, with the ear affected most commonly. Usually the complications were minor; however, 2 patients sustained disfiguring damage to their auricular cartilage as a result of high ear piercing, a child nearly asphyxiated on an aspirated earring, and 2 patients experienced severe dysphagia as a result of tongue piercing. The most severe complication was a lethal strangulation injury in a female patient whose necklace got trapped in the headrest of her car seat during a front-end collision.