Mr. Andrew Greensmith gives his expert opinion on Microtia and its treatment. He explains that Microtia is not that common a condition and therefore, there are only a few surgeons who have the necessary expertise and experience to treat it properly. He also asserts on the importance of treating both the aesthetic and functional problem of the ear caused due to the lack of ear canal. It is also vital to select an experienced and trained Microtia surgeon for Microtia surgery in Melbourne.

Mr. Andrew Greensmith MBChB FRACS

Microtia literally means small ear. Microtia is a condition that affects very small number of children around the world, about one in four thousand children born. So while it’s not incredibly rare it’s also not very common. It’s also the most challenging type of reconstructive problem to face plastic surgeons. There are very few of us who have the skills available to reconstruct this problem with good results. As a general rule, most children born with Microtia are otherwise healthy children. The common factor is that often with Microtia both the external appearance of the ear and the hearing function due to lack of the ear canal is affected. So we are looking at both the function and aesthetic problem we need to address both those issues when we look after these patients. I think it is really important when a patient is seeing a surgeon for correction of Microtia that they make sure they see someone who has a good experience with this condition, who is well trained in a major Microtia centre internationally and who already has some experience with achieving good results with Microtia and is able to treat them, as a, with a team approach to Microtia, dealing with both, the external appearance of the ear and in terms of reconstructing that and the functional aspects of hearing as these cannot be separated.