Congenital Aural Atresia

One is born with congenital aural atresia. This is a condition where the ear canal has not developed. Often associated with an incompletely developed outer ear, the situation may extend into the middle ear where the middle ear bones (ossicles) are malformed.

A hearing test will help establish the type of hearing loss that is present. When the hearing loss is of a sensorineural type, rehabilitation of this hearing loss is more limited.

When the hearing loss is of a conductive type, options to rehabilitate this hearing includes surgery to build an ear canal and eardrum and the ossicular chain coupled with a reconstruction of the outer ear or the use of a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA).