Elsevier

The Journal of Pediatrics

Volume 141, Issue 3, September 2002, Pages 388-391
The Journal of Pediatrics

Original Articles
Pre-auricular tags and pits in the newborn:: The role of renal ultrasonography

https://doi.org/10.1067/mpd.2002.126600Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective: To determine the role of renal ultrasonography in the evaluation of healthy newborn infants with isolated pre-auricular tags and pits. Study design: During the 4 years of prospective study, 108 of 17,286 infants were born with isolated pre-auricular tags or pits (6.2 per 1000 live births): 92 were assessed for urinary tract abnormalities by performing renal ultrasonography at 1 to 3 months of age. The study group was compared with a control group of 95 consecutive healthy infants without pre-auricular tags or pits born during the same period who underwent renal ultrasonography on the second day of life. Results: The study and control groups were comparable in birth weight, gestational age, and sex ratio. Renal ultrasonography was abnormal only in 2 infants with pre-auricular tags (2.2%); both had mild left pyelectasis. The prevalence did not differ significantly from that in the control group, in which 3 infants had mild pyelectasis (3.1%, P = 1.0) and 1 infant had a renal calculus. The prevalence of renal abnormalities in infants with isolated pre-auricular tags or pits in our study (2.2%) was also comparable to the prevalence in the general population (all abnormalities 0.2%-8.1%; significant abnormalities 0.2%-1.4%). Conclusions: We conclude that renal ultrasonography is not indicated in the routine evaluation of the newborn infant with isolated pre-auricular tags or pits. (J Pediatr 2002;141:388-91)

Section snippets

Methods

Our study included all infants born at Bnai-Zion Medical Center between January 1996 and December 1999. The cases of the our study consisted of healthy infants with isolated pre-auricular tags or pits. These infants were examined by a geneticist in search of other congenital anomalies. Family medical history was recorded for pre-auricular tags/pits and for hearing and renal abnormalities. Infants were excluded from the study if there were associated ear abnormalities or if other major

Results

During the study period, 17,286 infants were born in our institution. Pre-auricular tags and pits were detected in 110 infants. Two patients were excluded because of associated anomalies; one had a complex ear malformation composed of two left pre-auricular tags associated with right anotia and a father with anotia; the other had ventricular septal defect. Our cohort included 88 infants with pre-auricular tags and 20 infants with pre-auricular pits (a prevalence of 0.51% and 0.11%,

Discussion

Our study did not find a significant association between isolated pre-auricular tags or pits and urinary tract abnormalities. The incidence of isolated pre-auricular tags and pits found in our study (6.2/1000) is in accordance with other reports.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Thus, these defects are relatively common congenital anomalies, and recommendations for the appropriate evaluation for infants with these defects are warranted.

In the current study, only 2 infants of 92 infants with pre-auricular tags

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    Furthermore, these patients should be examined for any other malformations, which may indicate an underlying genetic syndrome like craniofacial microsomia or branchio-oto-renal syndrome (Tables 6 and 7).2,19,20 The association of preauricular ear tags and pits with urinary tract anomalies has also been studied previously.20,21 Wang and colleagues21 suggested renal ultrasound only when ear tags or pits are associated with other malformations or dysmorphic features or if there is a family history of hearing loss, ear anomalies, or maternal gestational diabetes or teratogen exposure.

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Reprint requests: David Bader, MD, Department of Neonatology, Bnai-Zion Medical Center, 47 Golomb St, Haifa, 31048, Israel.

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