BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Auricular masses are growths on the outer ear that have not been well characterized clinically. We assessed the clinical nature and treatment of auricular benign masses in patients at our institution. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We retrospectively identified 63 patients with auricular benign masses who underwent excision and biopsy from May 1970 to April 2011. We determined...

Abnormal foci in the auricles, from which the cardiac impulse may arise, beget various types of arrhythmia. Three main groups may be distinguished, namely, ectopic beats, auricular tachycardia (of slower or faster rate), and auricular fibrillation. Although the deranged auricular function is fundamentally similar in each variety, there are reasons for regarding the groups as separate nosologica...

Auricular petrification is an infrequent finding in which the ears become completely or partially rigid. The most frequent cause is the calcification of the auricular cartilage and, infrequently, auricular ossification. Ossification may be due to hypothermia, physical factors, inflammatory processes and different endocrinopathies. Severe hypothermia is the most frequent cause. We present a case...

BACKGROUND Tobacco smoking is responsible for human diseases of the lung, heart, circulatory system and various kinds of cancers, and is a serious public health problem worldwide. Acupuncture has been promoted as a treatment modality for smoking cessation. However, its efficacy still remains controversial. METHODS We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled trial using auricular acupun...

Retro-auricular cellulitis associated with otitis externa is now the great mimicker of mastoiditis. It may be the most common cause of this specific cellulitis/auricular protrusion when it is associated with otitis externa. This column presents six cases of children who presented with peri-auricular redness, four of whom had protuberant ear and retro-auricular cellulitis.

BACKGROUND Pedicled flaps based on the posterior auricular artery have been used for small auricular and mastoid cavity defects. OBJECTIVE To precisely define the vascular anatomy and angiosome (cutaneous distribution) of the posterior auricular artery. METHODS A fresh cadaver model was used for 3 separate investigations, studying the posterior auricular artery. Intra-arterial ink injection...

The researchers included randomized controlled trials published in English and Chinese. The included trials compared acupuncture with control groups that received inactive (eg, sham acupuncture) or active (e.g., Chinese herbs and hypnotics and hormone therapy) interventions for relief of menopause-related sleep disturbances. They defined acupuncture as manual acupuncture, acupressure, electroac...

OBJECTIVE To explore the therapeutic effect of auricular therapy combined with optimized Yinxieling Formula on psoriasis vulgaris. METHODS A randomized controlled single-blind clinical trial on 84 outpatients with psoriasis vulgaris was conducted. The patients were randomized to a treatment group (43 cases treated by auricular therapy combined with optimized Yinxieling Formula) and a control ...