Microtia - Successful Ear Surgery Outcomes

The number of individuals that have the birth defect known as microtia, which occurs when the ear does not become fully developed at the time of birth, vary largely between ethnic groups with greater rates occurring within the Asian and Hispanic populations as opposed to the Caucasian and African-American population. There are primarily four classifications of the severities of microtia-anotia.

• Grade 1-mild malformation; the ear is smaller than usual but the rest of the ear is present
• Grade 2- Where an individual has a partial or incomplete, extremely small ear with the ear canal completely shut resulting in hearing loss
• Grade 3- most common of the four where there is only a hint of the external ear and there is also an absence of an ear drum and ear canal.
• Grade 4-This condition is present when there is a total absence of an ear and is known by the term anotia.

Only 10 percent of patients with microtia-anotia have both of their ears affected with the condition, however, patients are usually affected more times on the right side then the left. This condition also affects the males more than females, and accounts for 65 percent of all cases. Individuals that have this condition account for a small number asymmetry deformities known as HFM (Hemifacial Micrsomia).

During a consultation with an experienced and skillful plastic surgeon detailed information will be provided to you on how to prepare your child for microtia surgery. It is important to thoroughly discuss the process with your child. Discussing areas such as being sedated for the surgery, the physician performing the procedure, how they will feel after surgery and the fact that they will be bandaged afterwards is an excellent way to prepare a child for the procedure. It is also a great idea to help a small child understand how they may look after surgery by bandaging one of their favorite toys in the area that they will have their procedure done.

There are several options in treatment for those born with microtia that include soft tissue reconstruction, polyethylene plastic implant, ear prosthesis, or Rib-Graft Reconstruction. With the Rib-Graft Reconstruction procedure, an ear can be constructed using either plastic or the rib cartilage. The main advantage of this method is that the ear is created using the patient’s own tissue. This means the ear will not be extruded or rejected, and will probably have a lot less instance of infection than when an ear is constructed using artificial material such as medpore or silastic plastic. For this reason, some plastic surgeons do not use plastic to reconstruct ears.

During your consultation, an experienced and professional surgeon will explain the treatment options to parents for children who will undergo the microtia surgery. Additional information that will be provided during the consultation include, the degree of the condition present, a patient test result review, an outline of a customized treatment plan, and the steps involved in reconstructing the ear. The best results from this procedure will occur when it is done correctly the first time as opposed to repairing a poorly reconstructed ear and will depend on the surgeon chosen to perform the procedure. Chose a surgeon that in addition to having the right credentials such as being board certified in both E.N.T. (Ear, Nose & Throat specialist or Otolaryngology) and plastic surgery will also have a working understanding and knowledge of the operations of the inner and middle ear.