If your baby has Microtia, take care of it as with all other babies, but always watch to see if the baby can hear well because hearing loss often causes hearing reduction or hearing loss. Be like any parent always for their children in similar circumstances. Microtia is not “hopeless”, as it can be “repaired” by the time the child reaches 3 years of age. Drag Drag Children with unilateral hearing disabilities will have problems / difficulties identifying the direction of sound and have difficulty hearing conversations in noisy environments, but the need for hearing aid equipment remains controversial. If your child has Microtia and has binaural hearing loss, it is important to improve your child’s hearing ability with a bone conduction hearing aid machine like the BAHA. It should be fitted before 6 months of age. The sounds that babies hear during their first year of life are very important for language and speech development. Drag Drag When your child is over 3 years old, it is necessary to see an ear specialist to determine the cause of the hearing reduction. If the cause of the hearing reduction is due to the absence of the ear canal or the ear drum, the Medpor method of shaping the outer ear, creating the ear drum and the ear canal will significantly improve hearing for the child. Medpor method can be done for children over 3 years old.

By Ha H. Nguyen, Huyen T. T. Tran, and Hang T. T. Nguyen Department of Maxillofacial - Plastic - Aesthetic Surgery, Viet-Duc University Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam A Single Cut That Changes Lives In the evolving field of reconstructive surgery, cosmetic outcomes matter just as much as functional success—especially for procedures that impact visible areas like the ear. Traditional auricular reconstruction techniques, while effective, often leave behind long scars and areas of hair loss. But what if we told you there's now a minimally invasive alternative? Welcome to the era of single-incision, endoscopic-assisted temporoparietal fascia flap (TPFF) harvesting —a breakthrough that blends surgical precision with aesthetic sensibility. The Challenge of Auricular Reconstruction Auricular reconstruction for conditions like congenital microtia or trauma-related ear loss has long relied on two primary methods: autologous costal cartilage or porous polyethylene (PPE) frameworks. The cartilage option demands multiple stages and is delayed until children reach ages 8–12. PPE frameworks, introduced for younger children by Reinisch in the 1990s, allow earlier intervention but require meticulous soft tissue coverage to avoid complications like framework exposure. Enter the TPFF—an ideal thin and vascular flap used to cover the ear framework. Historically, harvesting this flap meant long, conspicuous scalp incisions that often led to scarring and alopecia. Not anymore. The Breakthrough Approach From 2018 to 2021, our team at Viet-Duc University Hospital treated 60 patients using a novel single-incision technique. We used an endoscope and a single discreet incision hidden along the hairline to harvest TPFFs—entirely avoiding scalp scars. Our key achievements: We successfully reconstructed ears in patients ranging from 3 to 50 years old, with many young children receiving life-changing surgery before even starting school. Why It Works Using a 30° endoscope, we navigated the complex anatomy of the scalp with precision. We carefully preserved vital arteries such as the superficial temporal artery and its branches , ensuring flap viability. In some cases, we even identified additional small arteries previously undetectable by Doppler or CT angiography. This method not only avoids unsightly scars but also reduces intraoperative blood loss, postoperative pain, and recovery time. Surgeons benefit from ergonomic ease and a magnified surgical field, and teaching this technique becomes easier via live video feed. Looking Ahead With this technique, we achieved both reconstructive goals and cosmetic excellence . And with 61 flaps—the largest series of its kind—we’re confident this approach can become the new gold standard for auricular reconstruction. Our heartfelt thanks go to Dr. John Reinisch and Dr. Ken Stewart, pioneers in microtia reconstruction, for their guidance and inspiration. For Patients and Parents If you're a parent of a child with microtia or someone dealing with an ear defect, know that solutions are becoming not just better—but also more beautiful.

There is no scientific answer to what causes Microtia. Currently, there is no sound scientific evidence that can say or show that Microtia is completely genetic. Although it appears to be more frequent in certain ethnic backgrounds, it also appears to be completely random in many others. There are many families who give birth to a child with Microtia when no one on either side of the family has ever had Microtia as far back as history can show. Microtia does not appear to be present in the bloodline for many families. One child may be born with Microtia where his/her twin sibling may not show any signs of having Microtia. There is no evidence proving that the use of fertility drugs can cause Microtia. There is also no proof that the mother has used some drug, medicine or by eating drinking something wrong during pregnancy period can cause Microtia. Some people infected with Agent Orange can give birth to children with various defects including handicapped ears. * Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyễn Hồng Hà is currently the Head of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery at Viet Duc University Hospital. He is responsible for managing and overseeing all aesthetic surgical activities of the department. With over 20 years of experience in the field of plastic and aesthetic surgery, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hà has led and directly performed thousands of surgical procedures involving reconstruction, reattachment, and functional restoration, as well as aesthetic surgeries on various parts of the human body. These procedures range in scale and complexity and have been carried out across Vietnam, utilizing some of the most advanced techniques and technologies in the world. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hà currently serves as the Vice President of the Vietnam Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (VSAPS) and is a member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).

The most common complications associated with ear reconstructive surgery are: To understand why complications can occur it should be seen that ear reconstruction is a very complex process as shown below. According to the traditional method of using autologous rib cartilage, the surgical process consists of many stages. The first stage is to remove a few pieces of cartilage from the ribs on the chest, sculpture them to become the frame of the ear and then implant it under the scalp in site of the defective ear. Then, it takes many operations to lift the ear frame off the scalp, create the grooves behind the ears, cover the cartilage frame, skin graft on the scale and adjust other details of the ears. With many such operations, the risk of complications is possible. According to the Medpor method, using porous polyethylene ear frame with artificial synthetic tissue to shape ears, although the advantage is that it only undergoes one surgery but requires delicate dissecting techniques to remove the temporal flatform the layer under the scalp to cover the plastic frame and skin grafting should be taken from the patient own thigh or abdomen. Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hong Ha, who has successfully performed many ear-defected or microtia reconstructions at the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital, said: When performing difficult techniques, if the surgeon is not experienced, not only this will result in poorly reconstructive ears, which may also increase the risk of complications. * Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyễn Hồng Hà is currently the Head of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery at Viet Duc University Hospital. He is responsible for managing and overseeing all aesthetic surgical activities of the department. With over 20 years of experience in the field of plastic and aesthetic surgery, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hà has led and directly performed thousands of surgical procedures involving reconstruction, reattachment, and functional restoration, as well as aesthetic surgeries on various parts of the human body. These procedures range in scale and complexity and have been carried out across Vietnam, utilizing some of the most advanced techniques and technologies in the world. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hà currently serves as the Vice President of the Vietnam Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (VSAPS) and is a member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).

Answer: The most common condition in which  is seen is Hemifacial Microsomia, in which half the face does not grow in proportion to the other. The degree of hemifacial microsomia varies from barely perceptible to very noticeable. Treacher Collins Syndrome involves both ears and also affects the eyes which appear to have a downward slant or “pulled down appearance.” The cheek bones are small and the eyelids and jaw are affected. Goldenhar Syndrome may involves one or both ears and is characterized by incomplete development of ear, nose, soft palate, lip, and jaw. That is also the reason why at the Center for Plastic Aesthetic Surgery where Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Hong Ha works, there are always a full range of specialists in plastic aesthetic surgery, facial surgery, dentists. , ear, nose, throat, eye, psychology worked together in   multidisciplinary clinics. At these consultation sessions, leading experts will discuss and choose the best surgical option for the pediatric patients. Usually, a pediatric patient with birth defects without ears and combined cranial defects will be centrally monitored from baby to adulthood to be able to repair and complete as much as possible lesions at the right time for the baby. * Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyễn Hồng Hà is currently the Head of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery at Viet Duc University Hospital. He is responsible for managing and overseeing all aesthetic surgical activities of the department. With over 20 years of experience in the field of plastic and aesthetic surgery, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hà has led and directly performed thousands of surgical procedures involving reconstruction, reattachment, and functional restoration, as well as aesthetic surgeries on various parts of the human body. These procedures range in scale and complexity and have been carried out across Vietnam, utilizing some of the most advanced techniques and technologies in the world. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hà currently serves as the Vice President of the Vietnam Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (VSAPS) and is a member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).

It is always important for you and family and friends to be there and offer positive support to your child in dealing with the reactions of others, and this also helps your child in dealing with his or her own inner thoughts and feelings about their difference. Rehearsing some responses with your child in a casual matter-of-fact way will help prepare them for the inevitable situations they will encounter at school or at play. For instance your child could say, “My   is called  but it doesn’t change how I play or anything. I’ll decide later if I want to let doctors try to change the shape, but for now its fine”. Microtia is just a small aspect of your wonderful child. Raise your child as you would any other without overdoing attention or focus on this one aspect. This will help them cope with microtia and avoid self-esteem and confidence issues so they can grow up and engage. * Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyễn Hồng Hà is currently the Head of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery at Viet Duc University Hospital. He is responsible for managing and overseeing all aesthetic surgical activities of the department. With over 20 years of experience in the field of plastic and aesthetic surgery, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hà has led and directly performed thousands of surgical procedures involving reconstruction, reattachment, and functional restoration, as well as aesthetic surgeries on various parts of the human body. These procedures range in scale and complexity and have been carried out across Vietnam, utilizing some of the most advanced techniques and technologies in the world. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hà currently serves as the Vice President of the Vietnam Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (VSAPS) and is a member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).