Doctor Grew A New Ear For A Patient... On His Arm!
Modern medicine FTW.
By John Lim — 11 Nov 2016, 02:59 PM
Yup, that's an ear growing out of an arm!
A man in China who has lost his right ear in an accident will soon have a new one thanks to a well-known reconstructive surgery specialist.
The patient, surnamed Ji, lost his right ear in an accident and yearned to have it back, reports Huanqiu.com.
A team of surgeons, led by Dr. Guo Shuzhong from a hospital in Xi'an, China, used Ji's cartilage from his ribs to build the new ear
Dr. Guo has successfully grown an artificial ear on a patient's right forearm.
Image via China DailyDr. Guo from a hospital in Xi'an, China's Shaanxi Province, used Ji's cartilage from his ribs to build the new ear. He expects to transplant the organ to the man's head in about four months time.
According to the Huanqiu report, Ji has suffered multiple facial injuries to his face after getting into an accident a year ago
The man underwent multiple reconstructive surgeries to restore his facial skin and his cheeks. However, he was feeling frustrated about losing his right ear.
After recommendations, Ji went to see Dr. Guo Shuzhong who has more than 30 years of experience in reconstructive surgery.
Dr. Guo then came out with a three-part surgical procedure to restore the missing right ear
In the first step, Dr. Guo and his colleague buried a skin expander under the skin of the patient. They then injected water into the area to expand the skin.
In the second step, they took the cartilage from Ji's ribs to fashion a new ear before planting the artificial organ in the patient's right forearm.
The final step - which has not been carried out - will see doctors move the fully grown ear to the man's head.
Dr. Guo said the most difficult part of the procedure is the second step which had been applied on Ji and was deemed a success
"It looks exactly the same as my old ear," said Ji, who couldn't be happier with the ear that Dr. Guo has molded.