Doctors at Jaypee Hospital successfully reconstructed an ear of an Afghanistani national

• 19-year-old  Ilyas Yuosufi was suffering from  Microtia since birth
• The five hour long ear Reconstruction surgery was performed using an implant

Noida, February 22, 2018: : A team of doctors from the Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery Department at Jaypee Hospital have performed a complicated reconstruction surgery successfully and proved their expertise and quality Indian medical services offered to the world. The doctors successfully reconstructed the right ear of a 19-year-old boy, Ilyas Yuosufi from Kabul, Afghanistan in January 2018. Ilyas Yuosufi was suffering from Microtia, a congenital deformity where the pinna (external ear) is underdeveloped. He had unilateral microtia and had this deformity on right side of the ear and facial asymmetry since birth. He was just able to hear partially from his right ear.  The surgery was performed successfully by senior surgeons of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery Department of Jaypee Hospital, Dr. Ashish Rai, Dr. Saurabh Gupta and their team.

Explaining about the case Dr. Ashish Rai, Associate Director, Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery Department, Jaypee Hospital Noida said, “Ilyas Yuosufi was suffering from Microtia which is a congenital deformity where the pinna is underdeveloped. He had unilateral  microtia since birth on the right side of the ear. For reconstruction of pinna, we had two options. Firstly, to reconstruct it using the cartilage from the chest. This is a three- four stage procedure and doesn’t require any implant. It is usually preferred because a patient’s own tissues are used for reconstruction so there is no risk of rejection to any foreign bodies. Second is by using an implant. This is a single stage procedure and is more convenient for the patients who do not want to undergo multiple surgeries and resection of their costal (chest) cartilage. Plus they do not have so many surgery marks as well. The patient being from Kabul opted for single stage procedure with an implant as using the chest cartilage would have required more time.

“With an implant a patient needs to be little more careful. He can perform all the activities normally. One can participate in sports activities as well but a little extra precaution is needed to protect it from any form of injury,” Dr. Ashish Rai added.

Further explaining, Dr. Saurabh Gupta, Consultant, Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery Department, Jaypee Hospital Noida said “We used polyethylene implant for creation of ear framework and covered it with a thin vascular fascia from scalp. On top of fascia, a skin graft was applied. We treated the facial asymmetry by fat grafting in the same sitting.”

Explaining the causes of the disease, Dr. Ashish Rai further said, “It is majorly genetic. In Ilyas’ case, his father Mr. Gulam Mahboob Yuosufi had a minor Microtia. Few other reasons behind microtia can be decreased blood supply to the developing ear in-utero. Certain medication taken by the mother during pregnancy can also be the reason behind the disease.  Microtia occurs more commonly in males and on the right side (unilateral). Approximately in 10% of the cases it may occur on both the sides (bilateral).”

After the successful surgery, 19-year-old, Ilyas Yuosufi said, “Doctor’s in Kabul told me to get myself operated after 18 years of age because by that age a person is completely developed.  If the surgery had been done before this then there was chances that one ear would have grown normally while the reconstructed one would have remained small. I am really thankful to the doctors here at Jaypee Hospital for reconstructing my ear successfully.”

Gulam Mahboob Yuosufi  (father of Ilyas yuosufi) said, “We opted to come to India for his  treatment as there are no International standard medical facilities available in Afghanistan. After we came to know about the previous successful reconstructive surgeries performed by Dr. Ashish Rai and his team, we decided to visit Jaypee Hospital and get Ilyas operated. Our family is really thankful to Dr. Ashish Rai and his team for their consultation and reconstructing his ear making him look alike other people.”