In Loving Memory

Martin Polacek

1939-2007

Rest in peace my beloved, sweet father.

I love you daddy!!!

YouTube

I post our video from an online video site called YouTube. Sometimes their systems are slow and even though it uploads, it may not play for a while. If you encounter a message that says "This video is no longer available", try it again later. Sometimes they have issues that affect the embedded video. It usually corrects itself in a few hours and if it doesn't I will pull the video link from the post.

Miles First Popsicle

Miles hasn't been feeling well the last couple of days, so we got him some popsicles to help him feel better. This was the first time we let him eat one by himself. He's feeling much better now.

Additional Atresia Info

This is from a website for atresia. These are some common questions that have been answered. I figured since I posted about it a few days ago, this information might be helpful. I will post the web link under our links section.

What is Aural Atresia / Canal Stenosis?

Aural atresia refers to the absence an external ear canal. When someone has aural atresia, there is a high incidence of malformation of the external ear and middle ear also, but the inner ear and auditory nerve are frequently normal. It is important not to forget the "normal" ear in patients who have one-sided Atresia as approximately 25% of these individuals may have a hearing loss in their best side also.

A narrowed ear canal (i.e. one where the eardrum can be viewed, but the canal is narrower than normal) is sometimes referred to as a stenotic canal, or canal stenosis.

Aural atresia most commonly effects just one ear (unilateral aural atresia), but can occur both ears (bilateral aural atresia).

Atresia is most frequently isolated, but can be a symptom of a larger syndrome, such as Treacher Collins, Goldenhar, Crouzon's, Alpert's, Pfeiffer, Klippel-Feil, BOR (Branchio-Oto-Renal) also known as Melnick-Fraser, 18-q chromosome, as well as Hemifacial Microsomia.

The surgery to create a normal sized ear canal from either a stenotic canal or complete aural atresia is known as an "atresia repair" and is sometimes also referred to as a canalplasty.

Who is a good atresia repair candidate?

Atresia repair candidacy is scored from a CT scan on a scale between 1 and 10, loosely corresponding to the chance that hearing within normal range (i.e. an score of 8 represents an 80% chance of restoring hearing to below 25 dB).

Scores of 8, 9, or 10 Atresia repair is recommended
Scores of 6 or 7 Atresia repair is possible
Scores of 0 to 5 Atresia repair is generally not recommended, unless there is concurrent sensorineural hearing loss and the need to wear traditional hearing aids is essential to restore hearing

How many surgeries are required to complete atresia repair?

For unilateral atresia, generally only one procedure is required. For bilateral atresia, two procedures are required, generally separated by about 3 months

If the middle ear bones are malformed or missing, can this be corrected at the same time the atresia repair is done?

Yes. In the case of mildly-moderately malformed middle ear bones, a laser can be used to detach and reshape the ossicles at the same time the atresia repair surgery is being done. In the case of severely deformed or missing middle ear bones, sometimes prosthetic (titanium) ear bones are used in their place. Occasionally this requires a second surgical procedure after the new eardrum heals.

What is the revision rate after atresia repair surgery?

Approximately 10% of the time, a second surgical procedure is required. This revision surgery may come many years after the first surgery. The most common cause of revision surgery is canal stenosis, followed by lateralization of the ear drum and fibrous connections between the stapes and incus bones. Lateralization of the ear drum can occur when children grow, which causes the ear canal to elongate. In some children this causes a pulling away of the drum from the bones. In other children, scar tissue shrinks the skin of the canal and pulls the eardrum laterally. As discussed above, malformed ossicles may result in a two-stage atresia repair being planned.