Microtia Symptoms, Effects and Remedies

Microtia is a congenital deformity of the outer ear which presents with an ear that is smaller than normal, underdeveloped or absent all together. This is a birth defect that occurs in one out of six to twelve thousand births, usually in males. It usually presents on the right side or in ten percent of all cases it can be present on both sides. The good news about microtia is the fact that it is benign and it is usually an isolated deformity although it can present with more severe deformities.

There are three different grades of illness. Grade one presents with the most “normal” appearance as the outer ear appears smaller than normal but has all the features of an ear. Grade two presents with a normal looking lobe but normal features of the ear are absent or deformed. Grade three is also known as “classic” and the outer ear will present as deformed. Finally it is possible for a child to be born with no outer ear present at all in a condition called altresia and this is the most severe form.

Many parents with a newborn diagnosed with microtia will wonder if their child will be deaf and the answer is generally no depending on what part of the inner ear is affected. To better understand how a child with microtia can still have the ability to hear you need to understand the basic design of the ear. The ear is divided into three parts- the inner ear, the middle ear and the outer ear.

The inner ear is composed of the cochlea which aids in hearing and the vestibular system which aids in balance and orientation.

The middle ear is an air filled cavity with three small bones that conduct sound from the eardrums to the inner ear. These are in fact the smallest three bones in our body but serve a very necessary purpose in helping us hear. This is usually where fluid will pool up and cause a child’s earache to begin, which most parents are all to familiar with.
And finally the outer ear consist of the Pinna also known as the external ear and the ear canal up to the eardrum. The function of the Pinna is to capture and localize sound.

As long as the inner ear is normal than the child should be able to hear, regardless what their external ear looks like and they child should be capable of living and experiencing a normal life.

However, for a child who does experience a hearing impairment due to microtia there are options available including ear canal surgery or the more commonly used option of a bone conducting auditory procedure in which a hearing aid is surgically implanted on the bone. A bone placed hearing aid can be placed in a child surgically as early as age five and removed anytime with no side effects if the child or parent chooses to do so later in life.