Two Ears are Better Than One: Microtia Aural Atresia
June 26, 2006, the day of my son's birth, I received some shocking news. A nurse informed me that he was born without his right ear, a birth defect called microtia aural atresia. My lack of knowledge on this birth defect made it difficult to understand that babies could be born without their ears. The nurse tried to reassure me that he could still hear because he passed a hearing test. The doctor performs the hearing test by clapping their hands loudly to see if the baby startles. If they do, then the baby is considered to have normal hearing.
Microtia, Latin for little ear can be unilateral, one sided or bilateral, both sides. There are several grades of severity. Grade I, the least severe …show more content…
One theory is a decreased blood supply to the developing ear while in utero. Another theory questions certain medications taken by the mother while pregnant during the first trimester. Even environmental conditions have been considered (Microtia Congenital Ear Deformity Institute). I, myself have often wondered if genetics played a part in my son being born with microtia. His father’s second cousin, a girl, was also born with grade III microtia aural atresia. There have even been cases where a parent with microtia will also have a child born with the same birth defect (Hadfield, Microtia: My Family Story). Without a reason though it is difficult to prevent microtia from happening.
Aural Atresia, the absence of the external auditory ear canal, is found to accompany the more severe grades of microtia. The external auditory ear canal is not the only part of the ear affected. Aural atresia also affects the middle ear. The middle ear contains three small bones, the ossicles consisting of the incus, stapes and malleus. These tiny bones may be present but will not function properly or can be missing or malformed. In most cases, the cochlea and cochlear nerve are
June 26, 2006, the day of my son's birth, I received some shocking news. A nurse informed me that he was born without his right ear, a birth defect called microtia aural atresia. My lack of knowledge on this birth defect made it difficult to understand that babies could be born without their ears. The nurse tried to reassure me that he could still hear because he passed a hearing test. The doctor performs the hearing test by clapping their hands loudly to see if the baby startles. If they do, then the baby is considered to have normal hearing.
Microtia, Latin for little ear can be unilateral, one sided or bilateral, both sides. There are several grades of severity. Grade I, the least severe …show more content…
One theory is a decreased blood supply to the developing ear while in utero. Another theory questions certain medications taken by the mother while pregnant during the first trimester. Even environmental conditions have been considered (Microtia Congenital Ear Deformity Institute). I, myself have often wondered if genetics played a part in my son being born with microtia. His father’s second cousin, a girl, was also born with grade III microtia aural atresia. There have even been cases where a parent with microtia will also have a child born with the same birth defect (Hadfield, Microtia: My Family Story). Without a reason though it is difficult to prevent microtia from happening.
Aural Atresia, the absence of the external auditory ear canal, is found to accompany the more severe grades of microtia. The external auditory ear canal is not the only part of the ear affected. Aural atresia also affects the middle ear. The middle ear contains three small bones, the ossicles consisting of the incus, stapes and malleus. These tiny bones may be present but will not function properly or can be missing or malformed. In most cases, the cochlea and cochlear nerve are