UK Care Standards for the Management of Patients with Microtia and Atresia
Henderson, R. D., Moffat, C., et al. (2019).
United Kingdom: British Academy of Audiology; British Association of Audiovestibular Physicians; British Association of Paediatricians in Audiology; British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, 1-71.
This guideline provides recommendations for the assessment and management of microtia and aural atresia in children. Recommendations within the scope of audiology are included in this summary.
British Academy of Audiology; British Association of Audiovestibular Physicians; British Association of Paediatricians in Audiology; British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons
Changing Faces (United Kingdom); ENT UK - Ear, Nose and Throat - United Kingdom; Microtia UK; NDCS - National Deaf Children's Society; British Psychological Society; Centre for Appearance Research (United Kingdom)
Children with microtia and aural atresia should be considered for devices such as a bone conduction hearing device on a softband or a middle ear implant.
"Babies with Microtia and Atresia should be referred directly to the local audiology department performing diagnostic assessment by auditory brainstem response testing (ABR). The standard newborn hearing screen should not be performed" (p. 22). "Babies should be seen within 4 weeks of referral as per standards for newborn hearing screening" (p. 23).
For children with microtia and aural atresia, a multi-disciplinary team should provide holistic child and family-centered care. "The core members of the team should include a reconstructive surgeon, an otologist, an audiologist, a paediatrician with an interest in audiology, a psychologist, a specialist nurse and an anaplastologist (maxillofacial prosthetist). Members of the wider team, in no particular order, include anaesthetists, educational audiologists and teachers of the deaf, craniofacial or orthognathic surgeons, geneticists, nurses, orthodontists, radiologists and speech therapists" (p. 21). The audiologist may act as a link between the family and other services.
In children with microtia and aural atresia, audiologists should monitor auditory development, listening abilities, and other areas of development with input from the wider multidisciplinary team (e.g., speech, language, and communication development; developmental progress; academic achievement).
Children with microtia and aural atresia should undergo age-appropriate audiological assessments. Children with microtia and aural atresia with conductive hearing loss should undergo follow-up assessments on an annual or biannual schedule.
