Kuwaiti team to perform eight successful middle ear transplant operations

KUN0089 4 GEN 0191 KUWAIT /KUNA-QWR5 HLT-KUWAIT-OPERATION-EAR Kuwaiti team to perform eight successful middle ear transplant operations KUWAIT, Dec 24 (KUNA) -- Eight operations were performed last week at Sabah Hospital by a team of Kuwaiti physicians, supervised by Dr. Aschendorff from the German Freiberg University, to transplant middle ears. Head of the Otolaryngology Divisions at Sabah Hospital, Dr. Khairi Al-Hajj, said in a press conference on Wednesday that Dr. Aschendorff had supervised last week, the examination of 23 cases; eight of which had undergone transplant of middle ears. Dr. Al-Hajj added, the transplant operation of the middle ear enables patient to regain hearing by transplanting a small device on the ear bone. The device turns vocal vibrations into electric signs which provoke the auditory nerve for hearing. He added, the Kuwaiti team had, two years before, performed two similar operations which were the first of their kind in Kuwait at the time. Dr. Hajj pointed out that the visit of Dr. Aschendorff included giving lectures, performing operations, working in outpatients and examining some patients' critical cases. (end) kz.mo KUNA 242133 Dec 03NNNN