Understanding What Microtia is Before Scheduling Microtia Surgery

Microtia is a condition that a person is born with that affects how the ears look externally. It may or may not affect the individual's ability to hear properly. Microtia surgery is an option for those who are afflicted with this condition, especially those who suffer from the severest cases of it.

Classifications

Microtia is broken down into four separate classifications. The determination for which classification a patient should be placed into is based upon the manner in which the ear is affected.

Grade 1 is the first classification and is the mildest form of the condition. In this case the ear that is affected is smaller than a normal ear but the external ear is all there. Nothing is missing.

Grade 2 of of this defect is when many of the normal elements of the outer ear are not there. Reconstructive surgery is required in this case.

Grade 3 is the most common form of defection that doctors see. In this instance the ear that is affected is not a normal, healthy ear but is made up of a vertical appendage of cartilage and skin. Typically in grade 3 microtia there is no external auditory canal whatsoever.

The most extreme kind of microtia is known as anotia. If your son or daughter has this kind of ear condition then one or both of his/her ears is missing. It is possible for anotia patients to have an inner ear that is healthy and normal. It is also quite possible for your child to be able to hear out of this absent ear.

Microtia surgery can give the ear a natural looking appearance which by so doing can make it possible for the sufferer of this unsightly medical condition to feel better about themselves. It can also help to improve their self-image.

Parents who have a child born with this condition may wonder what causes it. The answer is that doctors and the medical community as a whole are not sure. It is a problem involved in development when an infant is still in the embryonic stage. In some instances it takes place because of an inherited defect. However most of the time it just happens and is not associated with a family history whatsoever. This health condition can sometimes be an element of a variety of syndromes. One of these is known as hemifacial microsomia.

Microtia surgery is an option for improving the look of an affected ear. It is often not performed on newborn babies but is performed later on in the child's development.

This medical condition occurs in approximately one in every 6,000 infants. It tends to show up more in boys than in girls. The potential that a parent will transmit a gene for this condition to their unborn child is very small. There is a six percent risk of this or less.