The birth of a child is an important milestone in the lives of many parents. Discovering that your child has a congenital condition upon his or her birth can be devastating. Some children are born with malformed or missing ears. This is a condition known as microtia.
Fortunately, microtia can be treated surgically to restore the appearance of a normal ear once your child is old enough to withstand the rigors of surgery. Surgeons have a variety of options available to them when it comes to treating microtia effectively. These options allow you to ensure that your child enjoys the best possible results through microtia surgery.
1. Rib Cartilage
In many cases of microtia, a surgeon will opt to utilize a child's own rib cartilage to rebuild the external ear structure. If your surgeon feels that the use of rib cartilage is the best option for your child, you should plan on multiple surgical stages.
The first surgery will allow the surgeon to remove enough rib cartilage to form a new ear. The ear structure will be set in place, and catheters will be inserted to help create better definition as the ear heals. A second surgery will be required to remove these catheters once your child's surgeon is satisfied with the results.
2. Implant
Another possible option for the reconstruction of an ear affected by microtia is the use of a prefabricated implant. The implant is inserted below the fascia and covered with a skin graft to mimic the appearance of the natural ear.
Since there is no need to harvest existing rib cartilage when utilizing an implant to treat microtia, younger children are candidates for this type of operation. You will be able to see exactly what your child's new ear will look like once it has completely healed since the surgeon will show you the implant prior to insertion.
3. Prosthetic
Similar to an implant, a prosthetic also requires no harvesting on rib cartilage. Prosthetic ears are affixed to the body using specialized adhesives or by anchoring them to the bone. It is rare that a surgeon will suggest a prosthetic ear for a child since these devices require a lot of maintenance and special care.
Your child will need to use caution when engaging in physical activity to preserve the quality of the prosthetic if your surgeon decides that a prosthetic ear is the best treatment option for your child's microtia.
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