Introduction:
The frequency of temporal bone malignancies is extremely low.(1) The two most common types are squamous cell carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma. A lack of research has hindered the development of suitable treatment guidelines. According to the literature, margin-negative and en bloc resection are gold standards for treatment. Unless the tumour extends directly to the auricle, preserving the auricular is important for en bloc temporal bone resection to maintain quality of life among patients. Unfortunately, few reports investigate auricular complications during en bloc temporal bone resection. (2)
En bloc resection of the temporal bone involves two common procedures: lateral temporal bone resection (LTBR) and subtotal temporal bone resection (STBR). Surgeons assess T and N stages to combine procedures, including parotidectomy, neck dissection, and mandibular condylectomy. Extensive temporal bone resection, i.e. STBR and LTBR combined with parotidectomy, sacrifices blood flow of the auricle. However, auricular complications following en bloc temporal bone resection remain unclear.
Auricular complications lead to additional surgical procedures, such as debridement and delayed adjuvant therapy. Further, auriculectomy has significant psychological and cosmetic impacts on the individual, resulting in poorer quality of life. Therefore, preserving the auricle is important for en bloc temporal bone resection.
In this study, we examined the vascular anatomy of the auricle in cadavers and retrospectively investigated auricular complications in en bloc temporal bone resection preserving the auricle to reveal the risks with vascular insufficiency in the auricle.