NC boy to get new ‘ears’
A SIX-year old Upington boy, who was born without ears, is set to receive a pair of custom-made prosthetic pinna, or external ears.
Elijah Cloete was born with underdeveloped ears and sealed ear canals, an unusual congenital medical condition known as microtia with bilateral congenital aural atresia.
Recently a team of experts from various medical disciplines and organisations came together to help Elijah hear for the first time, when he underwent surgical preparation for prosthetic pinna.
He will also receive a hearing aid as part of the efforts to enhance his quality of life.
“Elijah was born with his ear canals sealed, while the visible, external part of the ears were tiny and malformed,” Elijah’s mother, Shirene Cloete, explained shortly after the procedure at Medicross Kalahari Cataract, Eye and Day Hospital in Upington.
Last year, Shirene read in the media about another young man with microtia who had been assisted through an intervention involving maxillofacial prosthodontist Professor Cules van den Heever, the Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM) at the Central University of Technology (CUT) in the Free State and the Carl & Emily Fuchs Foundation, a private grant-making organisation.
Shirene contacted the boy’s parents, Nehemia and Deidre Doolabh, who put her in touch with the team, and this set the wheels in motion for Elijah to receive the gift of realistic-looking prosthetic ears, as well as a bone-anchored hearing aid.
Assist
Soon preparations were under way to assist Elijah, thanks to funding provided through the Carl & Emily Fuchs Foundation and Wohlers Associates, a rapid product development consulting firm.
The CRPM CUT team and medical professionals provided their expertise and services pro bono, while the Medicross Kalahari Cataract, Eye and Day Hospital, operated by Medicross and ophthalmologist Dr Erhardt Kidson, donated theatre time.
“I am so grateful for everything that these organisations and individuals are doing to help my son. I thank God for bringing them all together to make this possible. To the family who helped me connect with the experts, the organisations that provided funding, Gerrie Booysen of the CRPM, Professor Van den Heever, maxillofacial surgeon Dr Charles van Niekerk, the friendly, caring staff of Medicross, and audiologists Julia Jensen and Andra Bester – as a mother, I want to thank you all for helping Elijah to live a normal life,” Shirene said.
Professor Van den Heever, the CUT team and Dr Van Niekerk had to work closely together to meticulously plan how the implants, which will hold the prosthetic ears, would be placed.
Dr Van Niekerk explained that to hold the prosthetic ears, the implants needed to be attached with small screws into the skull at just the right position. “The bone to which we anchor the implants is only between 3mm and 4mm thick, therefore it is essential to plan precisely where the bone surface is adequate to hold the screws and to make sure that they are exactly the right length.”
Working with Professor Van den Heever, the CRPM of CUT produced a 3D-printed positioning device, known as a patient-specific surgical stent, after taking a CT scan of Elijah’s head. This stent is placed over the patient’s face in theatre and is essential in guiding the surgeon to accurately position the screws for the implants, to which the prosthetic ears will attach.