Thread Otoplasty — Non-Surgical Ear Correction

Non-surgical correction of protruding ears (otapostasis) using permanent polypropylene threads instead of traditional surgical cartilage resection. A small incision behind the ear allows the physician to model and fix the auricular cartilage with non-absorbable sutures, repositioning the ear permanently in around 30–45 minutes under local anaesthesia with nitrous oxide. An elastic headband is worn for one week; sutures are removed at 7–10 days. Suitable for children from age 6 through to adults. This minimally invasive alternative to classical surgical otoplasty is one of Artmedica's signature specialist procedures.

Protruding ears — a condition called otapostasis or prominent ear deformity — result from underdevelopment or absence of the antihelical fold, excess conchal bowl cartilage, or a combination of both. Traditional surgical otoplasty corrects this through cartilage-scoring, suturing or resection via incisions behind the ear, typically requiring general anaesthesia in children and longer recovery. Thread otoplasty at Artmedica achieves the same anatomical goal through a significantly less invasive approach. At Artmedica Clinic Prague the procedure is performed by MUDr. Kateřina Adamcová, whose ENT surgical training provides the anatomical expertise for precise cartilage management. The patient receives local anaesthetic injection plus nitrous oxide (laughing gas) for comfort and anxiolysis — a combination particularly valuable for paediatric patients from age six, who are the minimum age for this intervention once cartilage is sufficiently formed. A small incision of approximately one centimetre is made in the natural skin fold behind the ear; through this approach the cartilage is accessed and the permanent polypropylene thread is placed to create or reinforce the antihelical fold and set the concha at the correct distance from the skull. One to two fine absorbable sutures close the skin incision. Polypropylene is a non-absorbable monofilament used widely in surgical suturing for its stability and tissue compatibility; because the thread does not dissolve, the mechanical correction it achieves is permanent. The ear is held in its new position by the mechanical tension of the thread rather than by scar contraction or cartilage reshaping alone — an advantage in maintaining a predictable and stable long-term result. Recovery is rapid compared to traditional otoplasty: the elastic headband protects the ears during sleep for one week, sutures are removed at seven to ten days, and normal activities resume within a week. The final result is visible at two weeks when post-procedure swelling has resolved. Both ears are corrected in the same session. This procedure is offered as a genuine minimally invasive alternative for patients of all ages who have protruding ears and wish to correct them without general anaesthesia, hospital admission or the longer recovery associated with conventional surgical otoplasty.