Description
There are different degrees of microtia, ranging from small ears to totally absent ears. Traditionally, microtia cases were classified as Grade 1-4. Dr. John Reinisch has been part of developing a new classification system called the HEAR MAPS system.
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I'd like to talk to you about the classification of microtia. Microtia varies in appearance from being a almost normal, but small ear, to complete absence of the ear. We refer to this typically as grade one through grade four. This system is not very complete. It doesn't discuss hearing.
For the last 15 years, we have been using our own classification system called the HEAR MAPS System, or classification. In 2013, we published this in an international journal. The H-E-A-R part of the classification refers to the ear and the hearing. And the M-A-P-S part of the system refers to the face, including the symmetry, the muscles, the bone, and the nerves.