Boy born without an ear pinna gets prosthesis after 20 prototypes in Estonia

Nikita, who loves football more than anything, was born without a pinna on one ear and used to wear a hood while playing to hide it. This summer, for the first time, he can run bare-headed after receiving an ear prosthesis a few months ago.

His mother, Larisa Udovitskaya, told the ETV programme "Ringvaade" that people used to stare at Nikita on the street, with children often asking why he had no ear. Now no one notices anything unusual about him.

Raiko Tiganik, a doctor at the University of Tartu ear clinic, explained that such reconstruction is not mandatory, but many patients choose it, especially for children. Previously, many people travelled abroad for such treatment.

A months-long process

The project became possible thanks to sculptor Viktor Kiss, who graduated from the Pallas art school this summer. With a medical background, Kiss approached the Tartu clinic wanting to make facial prostheses (epitheses) and discovered that no such practice existed anywhere in Estonia — yet a patient, Nikita, was waiting for exactly that.

The process turned out far longer than the family expected, involving dozens of meetings, since Nikita has pronounced facial asymmetry — the side without an ear is less developed. As a result, it took 20 prototypes before one finally worked.

The first stage involved implanting anchors into the temporal bone, allowing the body to heal and accept the material. Three to six months later, posts were fitted that protrude through the skin to hold the prosthesis in place. On the day the prosthesis was finally attached and the magnet clicked into place, everyone present felt relief; Nikita, initially afraid to look in a mirror, later thanked Kiss with a chocolate bar.

Tiganik noted that one or two children are born each year who may need such an epithesis, and the clinic plans to keep offering the service. Kiss is now working on a new case — a premature baby girl missing part of her nose.

Since Nikita is still growing and tans heavily in summer, creating a visible contrast with the prosthesis, a separate summer version may be made in future. The prosthesis must be removed and cleaned daily, with care taken to prevent hair growth underneath — a routine the family now follows every evening.