could anyone give me details of microtia.?

Question

why it happens? what should be done? when an operation can take place at the earliest?

Answer 1

Microtia (meaning 'small ear') is a congenital deformity of the pinna (outer ear). It can be unilateral (one side only) or bilateral (affecting both sides). It occurs in 1 out of about 8,000-10,000 births. In unilateral microtia, the right ear is most typically affected. There are four grades of microtia [1]:

Grade I: A slightly small ear with identifiable structures and a small but present external ear canal
Grade II: A partial or hemi-ear with a closed off or stenotic external ear canal producing a conductive hearing loss
Grade III: Absence of the external ear with a small peanut vestige structure and an absence of the external ear canal and ear drum
Grade IV: Absence of the total ear or anotia.
Grade III is most common, and can be corrected by surgery. Typically, testing is first done to determine if the inner ear is intact and hearing is normal. If hearing is normal, the next step (if a canal is not visible externally) will be to determine if a canal exists, by MRI. For younger patients, this is done under sedation. Surgery may not necessarily be attempted until at a later age (generally about age 8, when the ear is full adult size). Cosmetic surgery (building a new outer ear) is done first to ensure position in relation to the other side; the patient's own cartilage is used (taken from ribs or elsewhere). Surgery to build a canal and/or canal opening can then proceed.
There are two separate issues in microtia surgery:

a) Cosmetic reconstruction to restore the visual appearance of the ear

b) Repair of atresia or application of a bone-anchored hearing aid BAHA to enable hearing. Unilateral deafness is not a serious disability, especially when the person is able to adjust to it from birth. In some jurisdictions the benefits of intervention to enable hearing in the microtic ear are not considered to outweigh the risks, except in bilateral microtia.

For cosmetic reconstruction, there are four different options:

1) Rib-Graft Reconstruction. Usually performed after age 6 to ensure that the ear has stopped growing and the rib cage is large enough to provide the donor material necessary. This is a three to five stage surgery. The number of surgeries can vary. The foremost surgeon in the United States in rib graft microtia reconstruction is Dr. Burt Brent.

2) Reconstruct the ear using a Medpor polyethelene plastic implant. Surgery for this can start around age 4. Note that for patients with both Microtia and Atresia, that when using Medpor for the outer ear reconstruction the atresia repair must be done FIRST (as mentioned above with the rib graft reconstruction, the atresia repair is done AFTER). The foremost surgeon in the United States for medport microtia reconstruction is Dr. John Reinisch

3) Get a prosthetic

Prosthetics are available in several varieties ranging from glue-on, to those which fit over the existing ear, to magnets, to titanium abutments which are embedded in the skull to which the prosthetic is screwed on. Prosthetics are not recommended for people that play sports or children.

Ears reconstructed using rib-graft or implants are sensitive, though the sensation is not the same as for normal ears due to the transplant of skin from other areas of the body.

4) No action taken

[edit]
Complications
Aural atresia is commonly associated with microtia. Atresia occurs because patients with microtia may not have an external opening to the ear canal, though the cochlea and inner ear are usually present. The grade of microtia correlates to the development of the middle ear[2].

Microtia is usually isolated, but may occur in conjunction with hemifacial microsoma or Treacher-Collins Syndrome[3].

Microtia can cause difficulties with wearing headphones and glasses[4]. It is also occasionally associated with syndromes that can cause balance problems, kidney problems, and jaw problems, and more rarely, heart defects and vertebral deformities.

If a canal is built where one does not exist, minor complications can arise from the body's natural tendency to heal an open wound closed. Atresia patients who opt for surgery will have the canal packed with gelatin sponge and silicone sheeting to prevent closure [5].

[edit]
Patient Support
AboutFace[6] is an international organization providing information and emotional support to individuals and their families affected by facial differences and disfigurements.

A parent support group specifically dedicated to Atresia and Microtia is located on Yahoo Groups


In some countries, the outer ear reconstruction is considered as a prosthetic surgery, which means that it is not necessary, and hence is not covered by the insurance or support groups help.

Some patients may opt to not pursue surgery. This is usually because the child has already adapted to the condition, and unless is driven by self-esteem or cosmetic issues, may prefer to leave the condition unchanged.

Hope this helps.....

Answer 2

10 distinctive solutions via fact one hundred short solutions ought to be approximately one hundred countless issues and you do not knw the place the guy is comming from. I constantly provide motives at the back of my solutions via fact I purely would desire to describe myself

Answer 3

here is a support group that may help you

http://www.microtia.net/

otherwise I think webMD is a good reference