Middle Ear Reconstruction - Ear Surgery Procedures

The ear is one of the hardest parts of the body to reconstruct due to the fact that the ear's cartilage and skin is the thinnest and most flexible on the body. Furthermore reconstructing the actual shape of the ear with cartilage and having it keep that shape after the skin is draped over it is even more difficult. Children are born with a congenital defect of the ear. This defect can be separated into a few classifications which include the inner ear or an auricle deformation as well as an outer ear or microtia deformation. While the external ear may be difficult to reconstruct the inner is much more difficult and it also is known to carry with it loss of hearing if it is not remedied. Unfortunately a child who is born with a congenital ear defect cannot just go in and have that ear fixed but rather he or she has to wait until the cartilage in their body finishes growing which can be around age 5 to 7.

The effects associated with an ear malformation can also be separated into various classifications. For starters an ear defect carries with it psychological effects which is why a child who may have a defect should have it repaired as soon as possible because after the age of 5 they are able to understand more clearly how different their ear is compared to others in their school.

There are the physical effects associated with the ear defect as well. A congenital ear defect caries with it the possibility that the child can loose his or her hearing which also means that since they are young, they will have a serious learning curve due to their inability to listen in class.

Furthermore, a child who is younger than this age of 5 to 7 years may not have enough cartilage in their ribcage to successfully graft in the ear reconstruction surgery. There are plenty of options available when it comes to the repair of these congenital ear defects but it is important to know that sometime you may have to wait. Furthermore the surgeon also needs to be highly qualified due to the precision and artistic skills needed to pull off a successful ear reconstruction procedure.

Ear reconstruction
Middle ear reconstruction
Cost of ear reconstruction

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