8-year-old boy can hear, thanks to an Indian origin American doctor

Bilateral atresia microtia is a rare birth defect that affects the development of the outer ear. Microtia is a deformity that is present at birth and affects the outer ear (pinna) making it smaller in size. This condition occurs due to the ears not developing during the first trimester. The pinna may be peanut-shaped with only a small nub or lobe present or completely absent. Microtia is often accompanied by atresia -- the absence of the external auditory canal. These conditions can occur in one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral).

In a miraculous surgical feat, an Indian-American surgeon has gifted a pair of new ears to an eight-year-old boy in the US, media reported. Elijah Bell, a second-grade student at the Frazer Elementary in Stark county, Ohio, was born with bilateral atresia microtia. But thanks to Ananth Murthy, director of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Akron Children's Hospital, Elijah got a new pair re-constructed from his rib cartilage, Canton Representative reported on Friday. The surgical feat has been reported across the US as a miracle because of the intricacies involved. Read: Garlic a natural remedy for ear pain

Besides five surgeries to create the ears -- starting when Elijah was just four-year-old -- Murthy had to use a skin graft from the boy's thigh to create a gap between his ears and his head. The final surgery was done in July when Murthy gave Elijah's ears detailed hills and valleys. The body naturally wants to smooth everything out as it heals, so we always have to go back a couple of times to help create the natural curves of an ear, Murthy was quoted as saying in a statement. Read: 8 symptoms of ear infections in babies

It is an artistic procedure, said the Indian-American doctor. For Elijah, the surgery has helped develop a new confidence in him. He's just learning to love himself the way he is, the boy's mother Colleen Bell said. Becoming a more confident young man is 'going to translate into his education, it's going to translate into his friendships with others, how he works with teachers, all those things, Bell said. It's going to make a really big difference for him. Murthy is described by his Akron-based hospital as our very own Doogie Howser, who completed his undergraduate degree at the age of 19 and earned his medical degree by the time he was 22 years old.

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Picture for representational purpose only

Source: IANS