Cryptotia is the condition where an
ear
An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...
appears to have its upper portion buried underneath the side of the head. The condition also involves underdeveloped scapha and
antihelical crura
The antihelix (anthelix) is a part of the visible ear; the pinna.
The antihelix is a curved prominence of cartilage parallel with and in front of the helix on the pinna.
The antihelix divides above into two ''legs'' or crura; the ''crura antihel ...
. Cryptotia is also known as buried ear or hidden ear.
Treatment
Cryptotia is often treated through surgery which involves releasing the ear from its buried position, reshaping the
cartilage
Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints as articular cartilage, and is a structural component of many body parts including the rib cage, the neck an ...
and using local tissue to resurface the released cartilage.
See also
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Otoplasty Otoplasty ( el, οὖς, , "ear" + , , "to shape") denotes the surgical and non-surgical procedures for correcting the deformities and defects of the pinna (external ear), and for reconstructing a defective, or deformed, or absent external ear, co ...
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Ear shaping
Ear shaping is the process of altering the shape of the human ear(s) as a body modification practice, often resulting in a non-human appearance. The medical procedure via which ears are reshaped to give a normal appearance is known as otoplasty. E ...
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Otolaryngology
Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...
References
External links
Congenital disorders of ears
Diseases of the ear and mastoid process
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