Microtia

A congenitally small or underdeveloped outer ear

Overview

Microtia is a congenital condition in which the external ear, the pinna, is small or not fully formed, ranging from a slightly smaller ear to a complete absence of the outer ear, called anotia. It most often affects one side, more frequently the right, and is often accompanied by aural atresia, an absent or narrowed ear canal, which causes conductive hearing loss on that side. The inner ear is usually normal. Options include bone conduction hearing devices and, for appearance, reconstruction with rib cartilage or synthetic frameworks, or prosthetic ears.