Successful microsurgical replantation of a child's completely amputated ear

SummaryWe present a case of a 9-year old boy who underwent successful replantation of a completely amputated ear. Few reports have been published on replantation of children's ears that are completely avulsed. Venous drainage is a well-known factor contributing to the failure of completely amputed ear replantation. In this case, we used a technique of transillumination to examine the amputated ear, and selected veins for exploration. Finally, a suitable vein was found and anastomosed to the one on the recipient side. The ear seemed to be completely viable once the problems of arterial blood supply and venous drainage were solved. A 4-year follow-up was conducted, and the result was satisfactory. The technique of transillumination is recommended in similar cases to solve the problem of venous drainage and to improve the survival rate of replanted ears.