AIIMS Bibinagar doctors reconstruct ear of 11-year-old boy using ribcage bone cartilage

AIIMS-Bibinagar doctors perform successful ear reconstruction surgery on 11-year-old boy from Andhra Pradesh using rib cartilage.

Doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Bibinagar performed an ear reconstruction surgery on an 11-year-old boy hailing from Andhra Pradesh, using his own bone cartilage from the ribcage for the procedure.

The child was diagnosed with microtia, a condition also known as ‘absent ear,’ where the outer ear on the right side was not fully developed since birth. In such cases, doctors typically wait until the child is eight to nine years old to allow the skeletal framework to develop sufficiently so that bone cartilage can be extracted. “Such cases are very rare, and only a few hospitals in the State, including AIIMS Bibinagar, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences and Osmania General Hospital, have the capability to perform these surgeries,” said Mula Rohit Babu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Rohit Babu explained that patients with this condition often suffer from severe psychological trauma and low self-esteem, frequently hiding their ears under their hair. “This is particularly challenging for females who cannot wear earrings or other ornaments on the affected side. The condition can be treated with plastic surgery, using the patient’s own rib cartilage to reconstruct the ear. This method has a higher success rate compared to silicone implants, which are prone to infection or rejection by the body,” he added.

The surgery, performed on July 24, lasted about six hours. During the procedure, rib cartilage was extracted, shaped into an ear, and placed where the ear was absent. The child recovered well and was discharged after a seven-day hospital stay. “Minor surgeries will be needed in future to further refine the reconstructed ear to make it look more natural,” he added.