Pressure device treats ear keloids

Mannheim, Germany - Results of a small study suggest that there is significant potential for a pressure device used to supplement other treatments for auricular keloids, Medical News Today reports.

Between December 2007 and March 2009, a research team headed by Gregor M. Bran, M.D., of the University Hospital of Mannheim, investigated the auricular pressure device in seven patients being treated for auricular keloids. Patients underwent surgical removal of the keloids and injection of corticosteroids, after which they were told to wear the pressure device overnight for a minimum of five nights a week until either the scar level matched the level of surrounding healthy skin, or after two consecutive adjustments in the device produced no improvement. Custom-designed for each patient, the two-piece device was held in position by magnets along the ear’s rim.

No problems were reported during the prescribed time in which patients wore the device, and no patients interrupted or stopped the treatment. After an average follow-up of 24 months, no recurrence of keloids was seen in any patient. All patients reported satisfaction with the results and no patient reported itch, pain or abnormal sensations.

Researchers wrote that while the use of pressure devices in the treatment of keloids of the ear is not new, the device they tested more adequately meets the requirements of an ideal auricular pressure device. They concluded that larger, center-based trials with long-term follow-up will allow better understanding of the role the device could play in improving scar management.

The study was reported in Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.