Microtia ear reconstruction surgery is life changing. Consider a recent article for ABC 5 Cleveland titled “North Canton boy born without outer ears receives rare surgery.”
Bob Jones of ABC 5 writes, “When 8-year-old Elijah Bell starts second grade at his North Canton school this week, he’ll have something very special to share at show and tell: his brand new ears. ‘I like them and I love them,’ The boy said with a smile from his home on Tuesday. In 2007, Elijah was born with a birth defect known as Bilateral Atresia Microtia at Akron Children’s Hospital. He had no outer ears, openings or ear canals. ‘It was quite a shock at first,’ said his mother, Colleen Bell. Elijah has worn a bone-anchored hearing aid since he was a baby to allow him to hear normally, but as he grew older, he also wanted outer ears like the other kids at his school. Enter Dr. Ananth Murthy, the director of plastic surgery at Akron Children’s Hospital, who has performed five surgeries on the boy since 2012 to make external ears a reality.”
The Dickinson Press also takes a look at a boy whose life was changed by a microtia ear reconstruction procedure in a recent article titled “Jamestown boy born with microtia getting new ear.” Chris Olson of the Dickinson Press writes, “Mika said Fairbanks made a mold of Gradin’s left ear and using that mold took cartilage from Gradin’s ribs to form the framework on his new right ear. The first surgery took place on June 16 and lasted 14 hours. ‘That first surgery was one of the longest days we ever had,’ Mika said. ‘The staff updated us every couple of hours and everything went fine.’ Jess said the first surgery was ‘exciting’ but also stressful as it was one of her children undergoing a procedure. The next three surgeries will involve building the lobe and finishing the top of the ear, then ‘pulling’ the ear out away from the scalp. The final surgery will be done in Bismarck by Yorgason to form the ear canal to see if Gradin will be able to hear. Mika said the new ear will grow with Gradin. While Gradin is looking forward to the last surgery, he is anticipating being able to play sports again within the next 1 1/2 years. ‘Once the (final) surgery is done, in one year and a half, I can play sports,’ Gradin said.”
If you’re considering microtia ear reconstruction surgery for your child, you need a surgeon you can trust. Rex E. Moulton-Barrett, M.D. is internationally known and acknowledged. He is board certified with The American Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and The American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Following microtia ear reconstruction surgery, patients will go home the same day as the surgery, with antibiotics. In many cases, pain medications are not needed, yet they will be provided anyways. We will place an ear dressing for three days and the sutures will be removed approximately 10 days after surgery. For about three to four weeks, contact sports are restricted and you can begin washing the hair after a few days from the surgery, but make sure to keep the ear dry. We will remove the sutures a couple of months later.
If you think microtia ear reconstruction surgery is right for your child, contact us for a consultation.