In 2019, Dr Tshifularo and his team successfully pioneered a transplant of a patient’s middle ear to cure his deafness, making it the first in the world. The patient was a 35-year- old man who suffered hearing loss as a result of a car accident that damaged his inner ear. Using 3D technology, he was able to recreate the bones -the hammer, anvil , stirrup, and the ossicles that make up the inner ear, replacing the damaged ones.
The operation was performed by Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team from the University of Pretoria Faculty of Health at the Steve Biko Academic hospital in Pretoria on March 13, 2019. The surgery was successfully completed in one and a half hours and was completed through endoscopy, a less invasive method of surgery.