Ji underwent a seven-hour operation led by hospital’s leading plastic surgeon Guo Shuzhong, who regenerates ears for about 500 Chinese children every year.

The final seven-hour operation was led by top plastic surgeon Guo Shuzhong. Photo: Handout

Guo said Ji’s surgery was complicated by the severity of Ji’s facial injuries from the accident, which made it difficult to find suitable blood vessels to reconnect to the new ear and make it function normally.


“The whole operation had to be done using 10x magnifying surgical glasses and sutures thinner than human hair,” Guo said.

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The complete reattachment programme required four months of preparation including three operations.

In the first stage, a skin expander produced with 3D printing technology was implanted in Ji’s right forearm. Water had to be injected into the expander every day to produce a lump on the arm to begin shaping the new ear.

In the second stage, doctors extracted cartilage from one of Ji’s ribs, which was shaped and implanted under the expanded skin on Ji’s arm, allowing the new ear to grow.

Guo said Ji did not lose his hearing after the accident, but having a new ear could heal his post-traumatic stress after the accident and rebuild his confidence.