Microtia and Aural Atresia....What is that??

That's what we wanted to know, but nobody really had any answers for us!!!  We took Davin to a highly recommended ENT when he was about 2 weeks old, he confirmed that Davin's condition was what we had thought, and had already started to research....Microtia and Aural Atresia.   I appreciate what he told us next, "There's really nothing I can do for Davin other than refer you to the specialists when the time comes, if you need me to". 

Sooooo what did I do??  I continued to research, research, research, here is an overview of what Microtia/Atresia is.....thank you internet, If it weren't for the internet I would not have the knowledge that I do to be an advocate for Davin.  Not only did I learn all about what Davin had but I also found out where the best of the best doctors are to do his surgeries.  (There will be more about this in future blog posts)  (information below sited from Wikipedia.org) 

Microtia~ Means "little ear"

Microtia is a congenital deformity where the outer ear is very small and underdeveloped or absent. 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.  About 10% of children affected by microtia have it affecting both ears.  Davin is affected in both ears, so he has bilateral microtia, therefore, he is in that 10%.

There are 4 Grades of Mictotia~

Grade I: A slightly small ear with identifiable structures and a small but present external ear canal

Grade II: A partial ear with a closed off or stenotic (narrowing) 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

Both Davin's ears are Grade III

Grade III microtia 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 CT scan.  The age when outer ear surgery can be attempted depends upon the technique chosen. The earliest is age 3 for Medpor and 6 for Rib Cartilage Grafts. However, many surgeons recommend waiting until a later age, such as 8-10 when the ear is closer to adult size.

Davin will be getting Medpor

Medpor is the reconstruction of the ear using a polyethylene plastic implant.  This is a 1-2 stage surgery that can start at age 3 and can be done as an outpatient without hospitalization. Using the porous framework which allows the patient's tissue to grow into the material and the patient's own tissue flap, a new ear is constructed in a single surgery. A small second surgery is performed in 3-6 months if needed for minor adjustments. This surgery should only be performed by experts in the techniques involved.

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Aural Atresia~ The absence of the ear canal and ear drum

With aural atresia, there is a high incidence of malformation of the external ear and middle ear also, but the inner ear and auditory nerve are frequently normal.  Aural atresia most commonly effects just one ear (unilateral), but can occur both ears (bilateral).  Davin is affected in both ears so he has bilateral aural atresia.  He will be having surgeries, called Atresia Repair (also referred to as canalplasty), to create ear canals.

 ~Davin and his right "little ear"...don't mess with him, he's one tuff cookie~

Picture courtesy of Keepsake Portrait Studios www.keepsakeportraitstudio.net

References:

Wikipedia