CHINA — Chinese researchers have successfully grown ears for five children with microtia, using a procedure that used the kids' own cells.<br /><br />According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, microtia is a congenital deformity of the ear, the severity of which ranges from structural abnormalities to a complete absence of the external ear.<br /><br />The typical treatment for microtia is reconstructive surgery, often through rib cartilage ear reconstruction, or silicone prosthetic ears.<br /><br />CNN reports that according to a new study in China, scientists grew ears via a biodegradable scaffold that replicates the patient's normal ear. Cells from the microtia ear were seeded into the scaffold and cultured for three months.<br /><br />The new ears were then implanted to reconstruct ears in five patients, and monitored for up to two and a half years.<br /><br />While the idea itself is not novel, what's groundbreaking is that the scientists were able to carry out the procedure successfully in a series of patients, and had long-term results to boot.
