subject: Solutions For Microtia [print this page] What is Microtia? What is Microtia?
Microtia of the ear is a congenital birth defect that can affect one or both ears and is a fairly common birth defect, seen in about 1 in 9,000 births. Microtia is non life threatening and can oftentimes be mediated through various forms of surgery. This birth defect cause some form of underdevelopment of the inner ear and out ear. There are four levels of microtia:
Level one: The external ear is underdeveloped, but the inner ear and external ear canal are fully formed and fully functional. This form of microtia does cause hearing loss, which can be tested for soon after birth, because the sound cannot travel past the deformed external ear. This form of hearing loss is called aural atresia. This level of microtia can be fixed using surgery and the hearing loss can be solved. However, some children may need speech therapy to relearn how to form words.
Level two: The external ear is only partially developed and the external ear canal is closed, the inner ear is fully functional. The hearing loss caused by this level of microtia cannot be fixed in surgery. It can, however, be mediated using amplification, or hearing aids.
Level three: The most common form of microtia. The external ear is nearly non existent, and the external ear canal and ear drum are non existent or non functional.
Level four: No external or inner ear.
Surgery for microtia is usually some form of ear reshaping. There are three common forms of surgery used to fix or mediate microtia. The type of surgery chosen depends on the age of the patient, the expertise of the surgeon, and the severity of the microtia. The surgery options include grafting a new ear on, or replacing the ear.
A cartilage graft is the most complicated of ear reshaping. It takes a section of the cartilage in the rib cage of the patient and shapes it into an ear which is then grafted in place. This surgery is often a preferred method for microtia because it uses the patients own tissue, which allows the ear to grow at the same rate that the child does. However, this surgery requires a very experienced professional, and since the rib cage must be large enough to provide the graft, the child must be as old as 8.
A plastic graft is the simplest ear reshaping solution for microtia. A new ear is made from polyethylene plastic and is grafted into place over the ear. The ear flap and the plastic eventually grow together. This surgery is simple and is performed on an outpatient basis, and can be performed on children as young as 3.
Ear prosthesis is the simplest solution to microtia. The prosthesis can be attached using adhesive or a magnet attached to screws in the skull.
Microtia is a non life threatening congenital ear deformity. It can be fixed or mediated fairly easily using surgery or prosthesis, depending on the severity. Surgeries usually involve ear reshaping and can often mediate hearing loss caused by microtia.
