Narrow elliptical skin excision and cartilage shaving for treatment of chondrodermatitis nodularis.

BACKGROUND: Surgical excision remains the hallmark of therapy for chondrodermatitis nodularis chronica (CNC). Although excision is generally successful, recurrence at the edge of the excised nodule is well recognized.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical features and the recurrence rate of patients with CNC treated with elliptical excision of the papule and removal of the underlying cartilage.

DESIGN: Seventy-four outpatients with CNC, 52 men and 22 women, were retrospectively analyzed. A narrow elliptical excision of the papule followed by a slice of the underlying cartilage were carried out with local anesthetic. Cartilage spikes were trimmed carefully shaping a smooth contour from the normal helical rim to the defect.

RESULTS: Good cosmetic results were obtained in all patients. The median follow-up for helical and antihelical lesions were 54 and 50 months, respectively. The global recurrence rate was 13.5% and ranged from 10.6 to 37.5% for helical and antihelical lesions, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: We recommend this surgical procedure because it has been shown to be as efficient as other methods and probably faster to perform.