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Tuesday 19 February 2013

Doctor Successfully Grew New Ear Built of Human Tissues under Forearm: Walter’s Story Reveals a Revolution in Medical History [Photo]

However, the luck favored her when doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore offered Walter to get a new permanent ear one built from her own tissues.
The revolutionary process is a most complicated ear creation in the U.S. in which first cartilage is removed from the rib cage to construct a new ear, and then is placed under the skin of the forearm to grow.

It was under my arm for about four months, I just thought I was something from science fiction.
Finally, this week, doctors did some finishing work on Walter’s new ear   by shaping and carving tissue to relocate it.
Family and friends say it looks great. I’m not looking until the big reveal.
Walter’s  lost her natural ear two years ago in 2010 when a sore in her left ear was identified as basal-cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.
My dermatologist looked at it for less than five minutes and said, You have cancer.
Then in October 2012, doctors told Walter that cancer had spread to her ear canal and the entire ear, neck glands, lymph nodes tissue and part of her skull removed through a 16-hour surgical operation.
It was the time when a team of doctors appeared and told Walter that she had options to adopt prosthetic ears that was actually not an option.
Dr. Patrick Byrne, an associate professor in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine memorizes;
I described to her how prosthetic ears have to be fixated somehow and sometimes fall off. Sherrie’s skull bone had been removed, so the only way of attaching a prosthetic would be through tape and glue. We both agreed that wasn’t an option.
Then Byrne, who pioneered the constructing an ear through human tissues, said most ear restoration uses facial and neck skin, but most of Walter’s skin had been detached from those spots. So doctors decided for growing a new ear under the Walter’s forearm.
We’ve talked for years about finding the right patient, in terms of age and health and a good support system. Sherrie had all that.
Thus, in November 2011, Walter’s new ear was placed under the surface of her forearm skin.
We implanted the ear near the wrist and just let it live there so all the skin could grow.
With the hard work of about 4 months, doctors succeeded to detach  the new ear from her arm and re-fixed to her head, thus the whole procedure took exactly 20 months for its completion.
From then to now, Byrne and his team have been working on the aesthetic feature of the ear to a match it completely with the appearance of her right ear.
Her reveal will be in about a week, and that’s going to really be an amazing.
No doubt it is not only a revolutionary step in medical history but it is a big sign of hope for cancer survivors like Walter.
I just want people to learn from the story and understand that they have options out there. Talking to your doctor and realizing you have options. Because honestly, anything is possible.

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