If the hearing loss is severe to profound in both ears, the child may be a candidate for a cochlear implant (beyond the scope of this discussion). Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss was not generally considered a serious disability by the medical establishment before the nineties; it was thought that the afflicted person was able to adjust to it from birth. In general, there are exceptional advantages to gain from an intervention to enable hearing in the microtic ear, especially in bilateral microtia. Children with untreated unilateral sensorineural hearing loss are more likely to have to repeat a grade in school and/or need supplemental services (e.g., FM system – see below) than their peers.Children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss often require years of speech therapy in order to learn how to enunciate and understand spoken language. What is truly unclear, and the subject of an ongoing research study, is the effect of unilateral conductive hearing loss (in children with unilateral aural atresia) on scholastic performance. If atresia surgery or some form of amplification is not used, special steps should be taken to ensure that the child is accessing and understanding all of the verbal information presented in school settings. Recommendations for improving a childs hearing in the academic setting include preferential seating in class, an FM system (the teacher wears a microphone, and the sound is transmitted to a speaker at the childs desk or to an ear bud or hearing aid the child wears), a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA), or conventional hearing aids.
In 2022, success of transplantation of a 3D bioprinted auricle made from the microtia patients own cells was reported, also achieving a first in 3D bioprinting for transplants. Related conditions
Aural atresia is the underdevelopment of the middle ear and canal and usually occurs in conjunction with microtia. Atresia occurs because patients with microtia may not have an external opening to the ear canal, though. However, the cochlea and other inner ear structures are usually present. The grade of microtia usually correlates to the degree of  development of the middle ear. Microtia is usually isolated, but may occur in conjunction with hemifacial microsomia, Goldenhar Syndrome or Treacher-Collins Syndrome. It is also occasionally associated with kidney abnormalities (rarely life-threatening), and jaw problems, and more rarely, heart defects and vertebral deformities. Notable cases
Paul Stanley, vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Kiss, was born with grade III microtia of his right ear. References
Further reading
Bennun RD, Mulliken JB, Kaban LB, Murray JE (December 1985). "Microtia: a microform of hemifacial microsomia". Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 76 (6): 859–65. doi:10.1097/00006534-198512000-00010. PMID 4070453. S2CID 25652076. Thorne, Charles (2013) " Ear Reconstruction: Microtia". Grabb & Smiths Plastic Surgery, 7th ed. Pages 283-294. == External links ==