The first surgical repair of a severed ear flap is mentioned in the Veda (sacred book of India) Sushruta Samhita in 800 BC. For congenital disorders of the ear, the interest of physicians began in the 19th century.
The first surgical repair of a severed ear flap is mentioned in the Veda (sacred book of India) Sushruta Samhita in 800 BC. For congenital disorders of the ear, the interest of physicians began in the 19th century.
The first surgical repair of a severed ear flap is mentioned in the Veda (sacred Indian book) Sushruta Samhita in 800 BC. For congenital disorders of the ear, the interest of physicians began in the 19th century.
The term microtia is not accurate because it gives the impression that the flap is of normal conformation, but is smaller than usual. But it is essentially an aplasia or hypoplasia of the ear.
It occurs in a wide variety of forms. It is attributed to heredity, to ischemia of the stapes artery, to maternal rubella infection during pregnancy.
As a rule, some degree of hearing loss is present. Its treatment depends on its form and severity.
The complete correction of microtia was first attempted by a British plastic surgeon (Sir Harold Gilles) in 1920. He used lateral cartilage as an implant, a method that is still widely accepted today.
The great difficulty of restoration is due, on the one hand, to the relief architecture of the flap, which nothing can imitate, and, on the other hand, to the fact that the skin of the ear is thin and successful retention of implants is precarious. The Tanzer technique remains a classic to this day. A successful modification of this was presented by Brent & Nagata.
The correction begins at the age of 6 years and is completed in 3-4 stages with good results. Another way of restoration is the use of alloplastic materials (Porex-Medpor, silicone skeleton).
