Microtia usually only affects one of the ears and is believed to result from insufficient blood supply to the developing ear while in utero. Reconstructing the ear requires multiple operations or “stages” with more severe ear deformities requiring a greater amount of intervention. Additionally, there is the option to use either the body’s own tissue (bone and cartilage from another part of the body) or an artificially created material to recreate missing or irregular parts of the ear. Typically the first stage ear reconstruction begins at 5 or 6 years old.
This length of each stage of ear reconstruction varies from 2 to 4 hours and is performed at a children’s hospital which employs highly trained pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatricians, and pediatric nurses. It is expected that your child will remain in the hospital for 2-4 days for monitoring after surgery.