A new and minimally invasive technique
It is an interesting fact that two doctors had the same idea at the same time. They both realized that it would be possible to replace the traditional ear surgery (cutting cartilage) with a new, minimally invasive technique.
In 1992, M.H. Fritsch, an otolaryngologist (a doctor trained in the medical care of head and neck disorders) in the USA, performed the first ear surgery without incision. He used a stitch technique that allowed him to insert the sutures without cutting the cartilage and the skin. He performed multiple procedures and examinations to ensure that there were no negative side effects or hazards to be concerned about. He published his findings in May 1995 in a leading US Medical Journal* and called the surgical technique ‘incisionless’. It was in this article that he first described the revolutionary advantages of this method, which still have groundbreaking significance today. These advantages include:
- A patient only requires one pre-operation dose of antibiotics (this measure is no longer up-to-date)
- No incision necessary
- Non-absorbable, synthetic stich material
- Extremely thin needle for the anesthesia
- No bandage necessary
- Absorbable skin suture (no removal necessary)
- Outpatient (a patient does not need to have surgery in the hospital)
- Postoperative headband for the night
In the same year (1992), an Israeli plastic surgeon, I. Peled, also had the idea of correcting protruding ears with a new minimally invasive surgical technique. He used almost the identical technique and called his method ‘knifeless’, meaning ‘scalpel-free’, or, simply said, the surgery was performed without cutting. He was so excited with this method that he wrote a paper titled: ‘How easy can a corrective ear surgery be?**
Dr. W. Merck (an ear and neck doctor), adopted the procedure from Fritsch and Peled and performed the first operation in Germany in 1996. He renamed the technique ‘the Stich Method’, referring to this new technique which did not require incision or cutting of the cartilage. Through the activities of Dr. Merck, the procedure became known in both Europe and abroad. During our collaboration, the technique was further refined and elaborated. Here are some examples of Fritsch’s original works:
