South African Doctor Performs Transplant To Cure Deafness 

A South African doctor and his team successfully pioneered a transplant of a patient’s middle ear using 3D technology to cure his deafness, making it the first in the world.

A video obtained by LagosspyNG on Wednesday, revealed the groundbreaking procedure which was first recorded in 2019 offers hope to many of those who suffer from loss of hearing.

The first patient to receive the transplant was a 35-year-old man who suffered hearing loss as a result of a car accident that damaged his inner ear, according to a press release by the South African Government.

The operation was performed by Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team from the University of Pretoria (UP) Faculty of Health at the Steve Biko Academic hospital in Pretoria on March 13.

Using 3D technology, he was able to recreate the bones—the hammer, anvil, stirrup, and the ossicles that make up the inner ear, thus replacing the damaged ones.The surgery was successfully completed in one and a half hours, owing to the severity of the injury,

Alluding to when the patient will be able to get their hearing back, Tshifularo said: “The patients will get their hearing back immediately but since they will be wrapped in bandages, only after two weeks, when they are removed, will they be able to tell a difference.”

“By replacing only the ossicles that aren’t functioning properly, the procedure carries significantly less risk than known prostheses and their associated surgical procedures. We will use titanium for this procedure, which is biocompatible. We use an endoscope to do the replacement, so the transplant is expected to be quick, with minimal scarring,” explained Tshifularo.

The best part about the surgery is that it will be available to patients of all ages, from newborns to the elderly.