HEALTHWATCH:
BOY WITHOUT EAR GETS GIFT OF SOUND
Dr. Sapna Parikh, Reports On A Medical Miracle For A Young Hurricane Survivor
(CBS) NEW YORK Taylor Moore, 7, was born with a condition called microtia, which literally means “small ear.” Doctors don’t fully understand the cause of this spontaneous birth defect, but it leaves children without an outer ear and often, without an ear canal.
In March, Taylor had the first of a two-step operation to get a new ear. Dr. Thomas Romo, the director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, helped develop the technique that is much easier on the patient than previous methods.
“Instead of using the rib graft, I use a porous polyethylene framework. That gets carved into the shape of an ear and gets put under the local skin,” Dr. Romo said.
Taylor and his family are from New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina damaged their home and left Taylor with an injury that postponed the second operation. However, just in time for Thanksgiving, the family was able to return to New York.
Dr. Romo inserted into Taylor's head a titanium peg, which is then connected to a processor. Taylor could to hear for the first time through his new ear.
Taylo’s mother, Debra Moore, said, “We not only have the ear, but we can hear. So we have everything; he has everything. He’s been given a second chance.”