Mythological ears, a real deformity: A case of bilateral Stahl’s ears in a South African girl

Abstract

Stahl’s ear is a rare congenital deformity of the pinna with a third crus resulting in an ‘elf-like’, ‘Vulcan-like’ or ‘satyr-like’ appearance with pointing of the ears. Early recognition of the condition allows successful early conservative treatment and may avoid the need for surgical correction at a later stage. We present the case of a 7-year-old South African girl with bilateral Stahl ears, who presented with psychological distress as a result of being ridiculed at her school. The deformity was surgically corrected with a good cosmetic result and patient satisfaction.