Using a new otologic operating microscope: Unexpected complications

The present work report cases of auricular burns after routine otologic surgery possibly induced by the operating microscope. Single-center retrospective study. April 2013 to January 2014, eight children presented with auricular burns after otologic surgery. Median age was 10.1 years. Cheloid scar occurred in six cases. A small scar was present for the other two patients without any other sequelae. No patient had chondritis nor cartilage loss. There was no possibility of physical or electrical trauma in the pretragal or retroauricular cutaneous area during the operations. Therefore, the only remaining hypothesis to explain these burns was thermal damage induced by the operative microscope.