title: Age-related histologic changes in human nasal cartilage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Understanding age-related changes is important when considering cartilage-based implants or grafts during rhinoplasty and nasal reconstructive surgery.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the cellular and architectural changes in human nasal cartilage with aging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Laboratory study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nasal septal cartilage was harvested from 50 consecutive patients undergoing septoplasty, rhinoplasty, or septorhinoplasty.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cartilage specimens were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and safranin O for cartilage.
  
  
  METHODS
  A modified Mankin histologic grading scale was used to analyze each cartilage sample for H&E findings and safranin O staining. Higher H&E scores indicated more degenerative changes, while higher safranin O scores indicated reductions in proteoglycan content within the cartilage matrix, representing decreased active chondrocyte activity. Correlation between H&E and safranin O scores and patient age was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was positive correlation between safranin O staining scores and age, with higher scores seen with advancing age (P = .01). A linear regression best-fit equation was determined to calculate a potential safranin O staining score for a given age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have quantitatively determined that advancing age is positively correlated with reductions in cartilage proteoglycan content and active cartilage growth. This finding not only enhances our current understanding of the natural changes that occur in cartilage with aging but may also affect surgical decision making when cartilage grafting is considered during functional, reconstructive, and aesthetic rhinoplasty.
  
  
  METHODS
  NR.
authors.affiliation: Center for Facial Cosmetic Surgery, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. judy.lee@nyumc.org
authors.forename: Judy W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McHugh
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Shan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Moyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055171:Nasal Cartilages / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012225:Rhinoplasty / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult