About the disease
Middle ear congenital anomaly is a condition whereby the child is born with the anomaly of the middle ear, which is the portion of the ear. It is an important part of the ear structure. Middle ear located closely to the eardrum. Middle ear is responsible for transferring vibrations to the eardrum. The primary role of the middle ear is to transfer acoustic energy within the cochlea area and thus, assist in normal perception of sounds.
According to the US National Institutes of Health, approximately 1 out of 3800 babies are born with middle ear congenital anomaly. In most cases the malformations of the middle ear are unilateral, meaning that they develop only in one ear. According to statistics, most commonly such anomaly develops in the right ear. In fact, 70% to 90% of all middle ear congenital anomaly develop in the right ear.
Middle ear congenital anomaly can be caused by genetic predisposition or some genetic mutations which were passed from parents to a child. Problems during pregnancy could also affect the normal development of middle ear. Other genetic syndromes can cause middle ear congenital anomaly as well. Exogenic injury during the pregnancy can affect the development of middle ear. Different viral and bacterial infection can affect normal growth of ear bones when the child develops in the woman`s womb. Rubella and cytomegalovirus can be detrimental to health of a child in a pregnant woman. Even herpes simplex virus can affect the woman's health. Measles, mumps, hepatitis and chickenpox are very dangerous for a pregnant woman. Women should also follow healthy diet as malnutrition can affect the child's health as well.
Middle ear congenital anomaly can affect the hearing of a child in severe cases. Treatment needs to be provided as soon as hearing problems are detected in a child.
Symptoms
- Decrease in hearing
- Complaints about hearing
- Pain in the ear
- Whooshing sound in the ear
- Frequent ear infections
Diagnosis
- During a general examination the doctor will examine the ear canal of a child to rule out the possibility of an infection. The doctor will determine if there is no accumulation of wax or water which could often create obstruction in the ear canal.
- An audiogram is a diagnostic method of measuring the hearing of a person. Sound waves are sent into the ears through the headphones to measure the ability of a child to hear sounds of different volume and vibrations.
- A CT scan, MRI and an X-ray of the middle ear can determine if there are any anomalies and also determine the type of anomaly and its extent.
Treatment
- Stapes surgery aims to improve the hearing by correcting the problem with the middle ear. It is especially recommended if the child has conductive hearing loss. During this surgery surgery the stapes in the ear can be either fixed or removed with further implantation of prosthesis.
- Stapes surgery is usually successful in 99% achieving the goal to improve the hearing.
Authors: Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko
