Elijah Bell was born without outer ears, but thanks to Dr. Ananth Murthy, director of pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery and medical director for the Craniofacial Center and Speech Resonance Clinic at Akron Children’s Hospital, Elijah has ears crafted from his own rib cage cartilage. Now, 4 years later, Dr. Murthy and his team at The Rebecca D. Considine Research […]
Tissue engineering: A sound solution for kids born with ear abnormalities
Hear this: Of the roughly 4 million babies born in the United States each year, an estimated 15% of them have an ear abnormality affecting the structure and appearance of part of or the entire ear, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Microtia, the most severe ear abnormality, occurs when the entire external ear […]
Cosmetic Surgery for Kids? Sometimes it’s Vital
You may not think of cosmetic surgery as critically important to a child’s well-being, but often it is. For a boy with protruding ears or a teenage girl with abnormally large or different-sized breasts, cosmetic surgery can be a life changer, said Dr. Ananth Murthy, director of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Akron Children’s Hospital. […]
New Non-Surgical Treatment Is Music To Parents’ Ears
Reed Ramsey doesn’t realize it now, but her parents – and Akron Children’s pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgeon Niyant Patel – saved her from potential teasing by peers and a future surgery by correcting the 2-week-old’s ear deformity while she was so young. During her first pediatrician visit, Dr. Laurie Penix, of Akron Children’s Hospital […]