Anthropometric measurement and cross-sectional surveying of ear pinna characteristics in Northern India

Abstract

Background: Pinna is a part of external ear. Its lateral surface shows various depressions and elevations, which makes it irregularly concave. Variations in ear proportions during growth, aging, and according to sex were reported. These differences were noticed in diverse ethnic groups such as Italian, European, Caucasian, Turkish, Dutch German, North American, and other countries. However, literature regarding the morphometry of pinna in Indians is lacking. Materials and Methods: Four hundred subjects (200 males and 200 females) between 10 and 50 years of age were selected for the study. According to age, the subjects were divided into four groups (A–D). For the purpose of study, unique digital signal processing technology, the megapixel camera was used to enable high‑resolution system. Various anthropometric parameters of the external ear including total length of ear, total width of ear (TWE), total lobule length (TLL), and total lobule width (TLW) were measured by indirect method, and variations according to age and sex were studied. Results: All parameters of the cohort for both left and right ears showed an increase in values with increasing age, but this growth was statistically insignificant. Differences in three parameters of the pinna  (TWE, TLL, and TLW) were statistically significant (P < 0.05) in both the sexes. Two important indices (auricular and lobule) were calculated in both the sexes. In males, the right lobule index was found to be statistically higher (P = 0.01) as compared to left one. However, it was not so in females. Conclusion: These parameters become a mainstay for plastic reconstructive surgeries. Besides this, the designing of hearing instruments also requires the information regarding anthropometry of ear in different ethnic groups. Ear dimensions exhibit significant effect of gender also.