Nathan, aged nine from Seychelles in East Africa, received an external ear through reconstructive surgery. His doctors at the Balaji Dental and Craniofacial Hospital, India, recreated his missing earlobe using one of the boy's ribs.
A portion of Nathan's right external earlobe has been missing since birth. He was born with a genetic disorder called microtia. He has normal hearing capacity despite the birth defect. He knows he doesn't have normal ears like his classmates and could not wear eye glasses or listen to music using earphones. Nathan suffered depression when his classmates started making fun of his 'missing ear'.
Nathan's mother began to worry about her son's growing depression and decided to take action. There are limited options for reconstructive surgery in Seychelles, East Africa. After an intensive Internet search, Nathan's mother took his son to Balaji Dental & Craniofacial Hospital in Tamil Nadu, India.
One in every 4,000 babies are born with this type of genetic defect, said Dr. S M Balaji, maxillofacial and hospital director of Balaji Dental & Craniofacial Hospital. Balaji used Nathan's own ribs to create the missing external ear.
"It is a complicated surgery that was done in multiple stages. Instead of using artificial materials, we've constructed the child's ear using a graft from his own rib cage," said Balaji. The use of artificial materials can increase the boy's chances of contacting infection.
The two-stage surgery started with the acquisition of cartilage from Nathan's ribs and shaping it to resemble an earlobe. The cartilage earlobe was inserted inside Nathan's right ear and then sewed up. The second stage took place after three months, allowing the inserted cartilage to settle and develop blood flow. Balaji and his team then proceeded to improve the look of Nathan's right ear by elevating it and using skin from his groin to cover the cartilage, creating a more natural look.
The surgeon added that Nathan is the youngest reconstructive surgery patient at the Balaji Dental & Craniofacial Hospital. He added that if a need arises, a third surgery will be done when Nathan grows up.
Nathan expressed his excitement to finally have a normal-looking right ear. With the reconstructive surgery a success, he can now wear googles and sunglasses and listen to music using earphones. The two-stage surgery cost ₹300,000 Indian rupees or roughly $4,500 dollars.
