title: Novel reconstructive methods of the conchal central strut using an absorbable plate after total harvesting of the conchal cartilage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Conchal cartilage is widely used in the field of plastic surgery, but donor-site morbidity is inevitable when all of the conchal cartilage is harvested. To maintain ear shape, the authors introduce a new method using an absorbable plate to reconstruct the conchal central strut after total harvesting of the conchal cartilage.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 18 subjects underwent surgery, and 14 subjects who were followed up for more than 12 months were included in this article. Before the total harvesting of the conchae, an absorbable plate was adjusted to the proper curvature and length. After harvesting, the central strut was reconstructed by the precrafted absorbable plate. When the harvested cartilage was too large or one implant was not sufficient to reconstruct the central strut, an additional implant was added to the cymba conchae.Outcomes were evaluated by photogrammetry and questionnaires. Seven items were selected to evaluate the shape of the ear and conchal cavity. The authors compared preoperative and postoperative photographs, looking at proportion indices of 7 items using Photoshop. Ten assessors who did not participate in the operation were also shown preoperative and postoperative photographs and answered questionnaires about the shapes of the ear, conchal cavity, and conchal central strut.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Except for the effective conchal cavity height index, no statistically significant differences were observed between preoperative and postoperative ear shapes. Additionally, the questionnaire showed excellent assessments for all items.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reconstruction of the central strut using an absorbable plate after total harvest of the conchal cartilage was a simple and effective method to prevent ear collapse.
authors.affiliation: From the *Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Daegu; and †Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Institute of Dermatological Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kihwan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jinhan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Junhyung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Daegu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: Sukwha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae Hyun
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054644:Ear Auricle / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery*; D004425:Ear Cartilage / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010780:Photogrammetry; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult