title: Average thickness of tragal cartilage for slicing techniques in tympanoplasty.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cartilage-perichondrial grafts are often used for tympanic membrane and middle-ear reconstructions. Tragal and conchal cartilages are most frequently used for this purpose. Studies have shown that slicing the cartilage to less than 0.5 mm thickness improves acoustic benefit. However, the thickness of the cartilage in a given population may not be uniform.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to determine the average thickness of tragal cartilage (in terms of age and sex) in an Indian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study of 61 tragal cartilages harvested during serial tympanoplasty and modified radical mastoidectomy were analysed according to thickness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total average thickness of tragal cartilage was 1.228 ± 0.204 mm in males and 1.090 ± 0.162 mm in females. The overall thickness was 1.018 ± 0.139 mm in those aged less than 15 years, 1.139 ± 0.238 mm in those aged 15-30, and 1.189 ± 0.155 mm in those aged over 30 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings help us to determine age-related cartilage thickness for slicing techniques in tympanoplasty.
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Maharashtra Institute of Medical Education and Research Medical College,Pune,India.
authors: M M
authors: MM
authors: Khan
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Maharashtra Institute of Medical Education and Research Medical College,Pune,India.
authors: S R
authors: SR
authors: Parab
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004425:Ear Cartilage / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016378:Tissue Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019737:Transplants; D014433:Tympanoplasty; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Comparative Anatomy; External Ear Cartilage; Tympanoplasty