Microtia is a congenital condition in which a baby is born with malformed external ear.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Microtia can range from mild to severe. In rare cases, there is completed absence of the external ear. The most common part of the ear that is malformed or underdeveloped is:
- Lobule type
- Conchal type
- Small conchal type
There are four stages of microtia:
- Stage 1:
- A small ear with most external normal development. Patients with Stage 1 microtia may have narrowed or missing ear canal.
- Stage 2:
- There is some irregular external development, especially on the top half of the ear. Patients with stage 2 may often have a narrowed or missing ear canal (much like Stage 1).
- Stage 3:
- This is the most common stage of microtia. Patients with this stage have a small underdeveloped ear with no ear canal.
- Stage 4:
- Microtia patients have no ear canal or external structure.
In children who have diminished hearing, a bone anchored hearing aid may be recommended. There are several different methods of surgery to reconstruct the ear.
Treatment
