Anatomical characteristics of the conchal cartilage with suggested clinical applications in rhinoplasty surgery

Optimizing the Use of Autografts, Allografts, and Alloplastic Materials in Rhinoplasty

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Understand the autologous graft options available to the rhinoplasty surgeon, including septal cartilage, auricular cartilage, costal cartilage, and bone. 2. Understand the autograft and allograft options available to the rhinoplasty surgeon, including cadaveric costal cartilage, silicone, Medpor, and Gore-Tex. 3. Identify the ideal situations to use each of these implant materials. 4. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of the different autografts, allografts, and implants in rhinoplasty.

SUMMARY

This review focuses on the graft options available to the modern rhinoplasty surgeon. Autologous options are varied in the quality of cartilage harvested and the morbidity of the donor site. In addition, surgeons should understand the allograft options should autologous grafting be unfeasible or undesirable. New technological advances in processing of allograft cartilage makes this an attractive secondary option.

Half Disc Cartilage Tympanoplasty: A Newer Technique Versus Temporalis Fascia Tympanoplasty—Retrospective Analysis

Tympanoplasty is a surgical procedure performed for the closure of tympanic membrane perforation. The present study was conducted to compare the outcomes of a newer technique of cartilage tympanoplasty which the author has named as half disc cartilage tympanoplasty and temporalis fascia tympanoplasty in the following areas-the improvement in hearing, frequency specific improvement in hearing, graft uptake rate. Retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Rajagiri Hospital from February 2018 to February 2020. 40 patients with moderate central, subtotal and anterior perforation were included in the study. 20 patients (group A) underwent tympanoplasty with temporalis fascia graft and 20 patients (group B) underwent tympanoplasty with temporalis fascia and cymba concha with perichondrium as the support in the anterior half. Both groups were compared for the improvement in hearing and frequency specific improvement in hearing. Follow up period for the study was 6 months. Chi square and t tests were used to assess association and as tests of significance. In our present study hearing improvement following half disc cartilage tympanoplasty was better than temporalis fascia tympanoplasty. In post half disc cartilage tympanoplasty and post temporalis fascia tympanoplasty hearing gain was maximum in low frequencies. Half disc cartilage tympanoplasty is superior to temporalis fascia tympanoplasty in terms of hearing gain. Low frequency hearing shows significant improvement following tympanoplasty.

Reconstruction of an iatrogenic anterior conchal defect with a revolving-door flap

Background

Auricular concha has been widely used as a supporting material in rhinoplasty or repairing of auricular defects. However, complications, trauma or iatrogenic excision often result in concha defects which destroy the normal structure of the external ear and further influence daily life. Local flaps are often applied to repair the defects because of their safety and satisfactory functional and aesthetic results.

Case presentation

We report a 24-year-old female who presented with a concha defect that resulted from a complication of concha cartilage graft for rhinoplasty. The anterior concha defect was covered by a revolving-door (RD) flap as a single-stage procedure. The aesthetic and functional outcomes were satisfactory at 6 months post operation.

Conclusion

We recommend the RD flap as an excellent choice for conchal defect reconstruction. Satisfactory aesthetic and functional results can be achieved by this easy-to-learn technique in relatively short surgical time.

Grafting in Modern Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty is considered one of the most technically difficult surgical procedures because of the limited access and requirement for three-dimensional visual perception and manipulation. Grafting is an essential part of primary and secondary rhinoplasties and forms the foundation for a successful functional and aesthetic outcome. Septal cartilage is the most commonly used grafting material, although many reliable alternatives exist. No randomized clinical trials have been conducted comparing graft materials and techniques for specific indications. In this review, the authors discuss the most common grafting materials and configurations used in the modern rhinoplasty.

Intraoperative tragal and conchal cartilage thickness: Comparative study for cartilage tympanoplasty

INTRODUCTION

In conditions like recurrent perforations, atelectatic tympanic membrane and poor eustachian tube function, temporalis fascia graft fails to give the desired result. In such cases cartilage is used for tympanoplasty. It was demonstrated that if the thickness of cartilage is reduced to around 0.5 mm, the sound conduction is comparable to that of normal tympanic membrane with excellent mechanical stability.

AIM

To intra-operatively measure the mean thickness of tragal and conchal cartilage and compare it for age and sex variations.

MATERIAL & METHODS

A total of 114 tragal and conchal cartilage samples of 86 patients were included in the study. Thickness of cartilages was measured intra-operatively after removing the perichondrium from both sides.

RESULTS

Out of 58 tragal cartilages, 32 were from males and 26 from females. Mean thickness was 1.18 ± 0.11 mm among males and 1.12 ± 0.14 mm among females. Out of 56 conchal cartilage taken, 29 were from males and 27 females. Mean thickness among males were 1.38 ± 0.13 mm and 1.35 ± 0.08 mm in females. In 28 patients both tragal and conchal cartilage was taken. Mean thickness of both tragal (1.22 mm) and conchal cartilage (1.36 mm) increased with increase in age. Among 16 males in whom both cartilages were taken, mean thickness of tragal cartilage was 1.25 ± 0.11 mm and conchal cartilage was 1.41 ± 0.12 mm. Similarly among 12 females where both cartilages were taken, mean thickness of tragal cartilage was 1.20 ± 0.13 mm and conchal cartilage was 1.35 ± 0.07 mm.

CONCLUSION

Sliced cartilage tympanoplasty is a relatively better technique. When using cartilage splitter to get sliced cartilage, ideally thickness of every graft should be known. As it is difficult to measure the exact thickness in every case, so knowing the mean for age and sex for cartilage thickness is important to have an idea of which plates to use for a successful outcome of slicing. We concluded that thickness of tragal cartilage is significantly less than the thickness of conchal cartilage. Also there is significant age related difference between mean thickness of cartilages, both for tragal and conchal cartilage. Surprisingly the difference between thickness in male and female is not statistically different.

An Overview of Asian Rhinoplasty

East Asian rhinoplasty is an expanding topic in the field of rhinoplasty. Although the main principles of various rhinoplasty techniques apply equally to the East Asian nose, East Asian rhinoplasty is unique owing to its different anatomy and ethnicity. In recent years, there have been some noteworthy developments in East Asian rhinoplasty. Traditional techniques using alloplastic implants with endonasal approach are changing due to the advent of new beauty concept, introduction of new techniques, and development of newly improved materials expended polytetrafluoroethylene as an alloplastic material has gained popularity in Asian augmentation rhinoplasty. Soft expended polytetrafluoroethylene sheets as augmentation material provide promise in the future. In this review, we will highlight some of the recent advances of Asian rhinoplasty with emphasis on dorsal augmentation, advances in implant material, and tip surgery using autologous cartilage.

Donor site morbidities resulting from conchal cartilage harvesting in rhinoplasty

OBJECTIVE

Conchal cartilage is frequently used in rhinoplasty, but donor site morbidity data are seldom reported. This study aimed to investigate the complications of conchal cartilage harvesting in rhinoplasty.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of 372 patients who underwent conchal cartilage harvesting for rhinoplasty was conducted. Data regarding patient demographics, types of nasal deformities, graft usage and complications were analysed.

RESULTS

A total of 372 patients who underwent conchal cartilage harvesting for rhinoplasty were enrolled. The harvested conchal cartilage tissues were used in a variety of applications: tip graft, dorsal graft, septal reinforcement and correction of nostril asymmetry. Nine cases (2.4 per cent) with donor site morbidities were identified, including four cases (1.1 per cent) with keloids and five cases (1.3 per cent) with haematomas.

CONCLUSION

Conchal cartilage harvesting is a safe and useful technique for rhinoplasty, with a low complication rate. However, patients should be informed about the possibility of donor site morbidities such as keloids and haematomas.

Iatrogenic Through-and-Through Conchal Defect Secondary to Auricular Cartilage Graft

BACKGROUND

Over the past few years, conchal cartilage has been most often used in rhinoplasty. The donor site complications following conchal cartilage graft harvesting are scar formation, hematoma formation, and delayed wound healing, although hematoma is one of the most important and common complications. A complete conchal defect as a complication of auricular cartilage graft harvesting has not been previously reported in the literature. The authors report an unusual case of an iatrogenic conchal defect resulting from conchal cartilage graft harvesting that was treated using a posterior auricular island flap.

METHODS

A 24-year-old male with a left conchal inflammation and perforation visited our plastic surgery department after receiving augmentation rhinoplasty and tip plasty using a conchal cartilage graft. A tight dressing had been applied to the ear, and postoperative infection was uncontrolled, which resulted in iatrogenic conchal perforation.

RESULTS

A tie-over bolster dressing has been widely used to prevent hematoma following conchal cartilage graft harvesting with an associated donor site complication. However, a tight tie-over dressing and inappropriate postoperative care can cause complete through-and-through conchal defects. The posterior auricular island flap provides an elegant means of reconstructing conchal defects.

CONCLUSIONS

In the described case, aesthetic reconstruction of a conspicuous iatrogenic conchal defect was achieved with minimal scarring using the posterior auricular island flap. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first to describe reconstruction of an iatrogenic defect in the concha as a complication of auricular cartilage graft harvesting.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Tympanoplasty--conchal cavum approach

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The three well recognized tympanoplasty approaches: permeatal, postaural, and endaural, each have advantages and disadvantages. The permeatal approach is suitable only for ears with adequate canal size. The postaural approach limits visualization of the posterior eardrum margin. The endaural approach limits the view of the eardrum's anterior margin.

This study describes a modified endaural approach, developed to overcome these limitations. A retrospective case series review and collection of a prospective cohort of patient reported outcome data were undertaken to assess the technique.

Method

Standard incisions as used in an endaural approach are placed within the ear canal. The novel incision extends from the superior canal incision into the conchal cavum. This allows a flap of the thick, hairbearing skin from both the bony and cartilaginous portions of the canal to be raised, and everted, to provide an excellent view of the entire drum. Perichondrium can be harvested for grafting from the conchal cavum.

The clinical charts of all patients operated on by the first author using this technique from 2010–2012 were retrospectively reviewed. The size and position of the perforation, size of the canal, whether primary or revision surgery, graft take rate, hearing results and the occurrence of chondritis/perichondritis were recorded.

To investigate the morbidities and the acceptance by the patients of the incision/scar in the conchal cavum, all patients undergoing the procedure in the 8 months up to the end of August 2013 were prospectively recruited to complete a self-assessment Likert scale questionnaire recording postoperative pain, and satisfaction with the cosmesis of the operative site. The clinician recorded if there was any evidence of chondritis/perichondritis.

Results

A 100 % graft take rate was achieved in the 75 adults treated by the first author from 2010 to 2012 regardless of the size and position of the perforation, configuration of the canal, primary or revision surgery.

Preoperative Pure Tone Audiometric (PTA) Air Bone Gap (ABG) averaged over 3 frequencies (0.5, 1 and 2 K Hz) was 19.4dB (standard deviation = 9.6, range 2 to 50). Postoperative PTA ABG average was 6.2 dB (standard deviation = 8.3, range -7 to 37), demonstrating a statistically significant post-surgery mean improvement of 13.2 dB (paired T-test, p < 0.001).

Twenty-one patients who underwent the procedure in 2013, reported minimal postoperative analgesic use, and scored the acceptability of the incision scar highly (4.8 out of a maximum of 5). There was no case of chondritis/perichondritis in the 96 cases.

Conclusion

Whilst it is the surgeon’s decision to use a permeatal, postaural or endaural approach, the endaural approach with the conchal cavum modification is an excellent alternative to the traditionally described approaches.

Trial Registration

Clinical trial number: NCT02000843 at ClinicalTrials.gov

Anatomic analysis of the conchal bowl cartilage

PURPOSE

The conchal bowl is a portion of auricular cartilage commonly used as an autologous graft for various maxillofacial procedures. Few studies have attempted to describe the anatomy of this region in detail, particularly in relation to the curvature of the conchal bowl. The present study has provided detailed information about the anatomy of the auricular cartilage in the conchal bowl region that could assist in the surgical design of graft harvesting.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 35 pairs of cadaver ears without gross deformity (15 male, 20 female; aged 39 to 99 years) were dissected to completely expose the cartilage skeleton. Each cartilage was stabilized, and the conchal bowl was mapped. The starting reference point was defined as the intersection of the lateral border of the antihelix and the superiormost aspect of the inferior crux. A prefabricated grid was then used to imprint a 4 × 5 matrix of pinpoint ink spots on the surface of each cartilage, with 6-mm increments between each spot. The grid's y and x axes were then aligned with the landmarks above. Next, a MicroScribe 3-dimensional digitizer (ghost3d.com) was used to capture the 3-dimensional coordinates for each point on the ear's surface and the coordinates were transferred into an Excel spreadsheet. After digitization, a Boley gauge was used to measure the thickness of the cartilage at each premarked spot. The gathered data points and measurements were examined to describe our parameters of interest (ie, depth, thickness, and curvature).

RESULTS

The average maximum conchal bowl depth was 10.5 ± 3.0 mm in the female ears and 10.7 ± 2.5 mm in the male ears. In general, the conchal bowl depth at each point did not differ significantly between the males and females. The mean cartilage thickness ranged from 0.77 to 1.79 mm (mean 1.15 ± 0.26) in the females and 0.95 to 1.45 mm (mean 1.25 ± 0.23) in the males. Both genders showed an increase in the conchal bowl depth from inferiorly to superiorly and from posteriorly to anteriorly. The cartilage thickness also increased from posteriorly to anteriorly; however, the exact shape is complex.

CONCLUSIONS

A detailed understanding of the facial anatomy is important in the practice of facial surgery. The results we have presented will provide surgeons with information on the overall dimensions, thickness, and curvature of the conchal bowl that could allow more advantageous donor site selection.

Reconstruction of the septum with an autogenous double-layered conchal L-strut

BACKGROUND

One of the most important preconditions for a straight nose is a straight and stable cartilaginous L-shaped frame with sufficient support for the nasal tip and the cartilaginous dorsum. Where the structure of the septal cartilage is destroyed, a sufficient L-strut must be reconstructed. This article presents a technique for reconstruction of an autogenous L-strut using double-layered conchal cartilages.

METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted with a subsequent follow-up evaluation 10.5-22 months later. The conchal L-strut was used for 26 patients to reconstruct a new septal frame. The full details of the planning process, L-frame construction, and technical data are described together with two typical cases.

RESULTS

In all 26 cases, the authors were able to reconstruct a sufficient neoseptum. In 25 cases, the neoseptum remained straight. Only in one case did the anterior border deviate immediately after the operation. No slippage from the nasal spine was found. The anchoring to the nasal bones and the upper lateral cartilages was stable. However, one asymmetric columella base was found, caused by an asymmetric support to the footplates by the transplant. The osteocartilagenous vault was successfully reconstructed in all the patients. Of the 26 patients, 25 described a marked improvement in their nasal breathing.

CONCLUSION

The reported technique enables the surgeon to reconstruct the complete cartilagenous L-frame with both conchal cartilages. For certain cases, this technique of autogenous reconstruction of the nasal septum could be a valuable alternative to reconstruction with rib cartilage.

State of the art in augmentation rhinoplasty: implant or graft?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

There is ongoing debate regarding the optimal material for augmentation rhinoplasty. Each graft and implant has its own advantages and disadvantages. This review addresses the use of several grafts and implants in augmentation rhinoplasty, with a particular focus on dorsal augmentation.

RECENT FINDINGS

There are several grafts and implants available for dorsal augmentation. Autologous graft is commonly reported to be the preferred method. However, the proper selection of graft material varies depending on the technique and preference of the surgeon, as well as the anatomic and ethnic characteristics of the patient. Thus, there are a number of different options in the choice of graft or implant material, and there are debates and controversies as to the most appropriate choice.

SUMMARY

This article summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of several graft and implant options for dorsal augmentation. This information can help proper selection of the appropriate implant for dorsal augmentation, a critically important factor for minimizing morbidity while still achieving an optimal aesthetic result.

Dorsal nasal augmentation with "open sandwich" graft consisting of conchal cartilage and retroauricular fascia

BACKGROUND

Augmenting the nasal dorsum with conchal grafts can cause visible irregularities over time due to the morphological qualities of that material.

OBJECTIVES

This study describes the senior authors' technique of dorsal nasal augmentation with chondrofascial "open sandwich" grafts consisting of pieces of conchal cartilage and retroauricular fascia. The authors assess the efficiency and reliability of this graft in nasal dorsal augmentation.

METHODS

The authors retrospectively reviewed the cases of 19 patients who underwent dorsal augmentation rhinoplasty with chondrofascial grafts. Both cartilage and fascia were harvested through the same incision in the retroauricular sulcus. The conchal graft was cut in 2 to 4 pieces and slightly crushed with tissue forceps. The pieces of cartilage were arranged and fixed to the fascia in different patterns according to the nasal dorsum contour.

RESULTS

The follow-up period ranged from 12 to 35 months in 16 patients who qualified for inclusion in the final data. The maximal thickness of the chondrofascial graft was 4.5 mm. There were no major complications in the recipient area, except 1 case of undercorrection. There were 2 complications in the donor area. In 1 case, a hematoma was treated conservatively. In another case, a strip of skin necrosis in the conchal area occurred and was treated by excision and direct suture with satisfactory resolution.

CONCLUSIONS

The autologous chondrofascial graft is appropriate for slight to mild dorsal nasal augmentation. The method, as with most rhinoplasty techniques, requires careful and judicious preoperative examination, planning, and execution. The postoperative scar is inconspicuous and the donor site morbidity is minimal.