Personalized 3D-printed retainers as a novel approach to maintain the auricular morphology after corrective surgery for cryptotia: a retrospective study

Cryptotia, a congenital auricular deformity, presents both aesthetic and functional challenges. This study evaluates the efficacy of personalized 3D-printed retainers in maintaining auricular morphology following corrective surgery for cryptotia. A total of 69 patients with unilateral cryptotia were enrolled in this single-center retrospective cohort study. All patients underwent corrective surgery, and postoperative management included the use of retainers in the experimental group, while the control group did not use any supportive devices. The effect of surgery and retainers relied on the measurement and analysis of auricular indicators preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, and at the last follow-up. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the Likert scale and Visual Analog Scale. Significant improvements in auricular indicators were observed postoperatively in both groups. At the last follow-up, no statistical significances were observed in the differences of key indicators between the affected and normal ears in the experimental group, whereas significant differences were observed in the control group. The experimental group demonstrated a significantly high satisfaction rate (82.25%). Subgroup analysis revealed that the retainers were particularly effective in patients without the need for free skin grafting. This study highlighted the personalized 3D-printed retainers in maintaining auricular morphology and reducing the recurrence after corrective surgery for cryptotia.