Advances in the treatment of microtia.
OBJECTIVE
Creating the fine details of the ear in a patient with a congenital absent ear is extremely challenging. Each component of the multidisciplinary team that manages the ear reconstruction, hearing restoration, and associated craniofacial anomalies of these patients has seen recent progress.


RESULTS
Population studies have provided new insights into the etiology of microtia. Novel techniques for costal cartilage harvest, implantation, and positioning add to the techniques of Brent and Nagata, which remain the gold standard for microtia repair. Advances in the use of alloplasts and tissue-engineered cartilage appear promising.


CONCLUSIONS
Technical advances in combined aural atresia/microtia reconstruction, bone-anchored prosthetics, bone-anchored hearing aides, and use of alloplastic implants provide numerous options to patients and practitioners. Implantable, tissue-engineered auricular frameworks appear to be a promising option for the future.
Tollefson
Travis T
TT
Cleft and Craniofacial Program, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California 95817, USA. travis.tollefson@yahoo.com
D004431:Ear, External / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D023822:Tissue Engineering