The polymethylmethacrylate effects on auricle conchal cartilage: report of 21 cases.
BACKGROUND
Both surgical and nonsurgical techniques, including soft tissue augmentation, are available to restore a youthful appearance to the face. Soft tissue augmentation with nonabsorbable fillers is increasingly important, as a growing number of patients are seeking aesthetic improvement without the downtime and cost of major surgical procedures. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), an injectable implant composed of a suspension of microspheres in different media, is one such soft tissue filler.


OBJECTIVE
Because the application of PMMA into the pericartilage of the ear is becoming a more common practice among plastic surgeons, the authors offer a systematic analysis of its effects. They believe this information to be of paramount importance to prevent injuries and deformities.


METHODS
Twenty-one patients who presented to the lead author's clinic with prominent ears during a period of 16 months between 2007 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. The authors analyzed PMMA's effects on each patient's ear shell cartilage, which was extracted during correction without causing any kind of injury or deformity to the participants in this study.


RESULTS
The histopathologic study from the excised skin and cartilage samples showed a granulomatous inflammation in all patients. There was no association between the incidence of tissue alterations and the mean length of PMMA on the conchal cartilage.


CONCLUSIONS
The potential consequences of PMMA injection in close proximity to cartilage cannot be predicted and the possibility of myxomatous cartilage degeneration is a serious potential adverse event because it can cause permanent deformities of the cartilaginous skeleton.
Caldellas
Andressa Vieria
AV
Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
de Castro
Claudio Cardoso
CC
Aboudib
Jose Horácio
JH
Guimarães
Leonardo Araújo
LA
Geissler
Palmyra
P
Cedrola
Juan
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects; D054644:Ear Auricle / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery; D004425:Ear Cartilage / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006099:Granuloma / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008863:Microspheres; D008875:Middle Aged; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate