Survival of Minced Cartilage Grafts with Comparison Surgicel(®) Original and Fibrillar.
BACKGROUND
Cartilage grafts are commonly used in nasal surgery for structural and/or esthetic purposes. The viability of cartilage grafts has been investigated in many forms since the use of cartilage grafts in surgical procedures.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to investigate the viability of minced cartilage grafts and whether there is a difference between grafts wrapped in Surgicel(®) Original and Surgicel Fibrillar.


METHODS
A total of ten New Zealand rabbits were used for the study. Cartilage grafts were harvested from one side ear. Four groups were formed. Group 1: minced cartilage graft wrapped in Surgicel Fibrillar; Group 2: minced cartilage graft wrapped in Surgicel Original; Group 3: bare minced cartilage graft; and Group 4: bare diced cartilage graft. Four small subcutaneous pockets were made in the backs of the rabbits, and the grafts were placed in these pockets. All of the rabbits were sacrificed at the end of 3 months, and the samples were collected. The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), toluidin blue, safranin-O, masson trichrome, and glial fibrillary acidic protein immunohistochemical. All specimens were assessed histopathologically under a light microscope.


RESULTS
There was no statistically significant difference between the Surgicel Fibrillar and Surgicel Original groups with respect to any of the parameters. Bone formation, calcification, inflammation, fibrosis, and basophilia were similar in all groups, with no significant difference among them. In the Surgicel Fibrillar and Surgicel Original groups, a heavy chondrocyte nucleus loss accompanied by a minimal peripheral proliferation was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
The viability of bare minced cartilage grafts was found to be similar to that of bare diced cartilage in this study. Minced cartilage grafts can be used in the correction of minor dorsal defects and irregularities in persons with thin nasal skins, especially in primary and revision rhinoplasty. Although there is no statistically significant difference between the Surgicel Fibrillary and Surgicel Original groups, we think that, if it is necessary to use oxidized regenerated cellulose, it should be in the fibrillar form.


METHODS
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 http://www.springer.com/00266 .
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Pamukkale University Hospital, Denizli, 20070, Pamukkale, Turkey. ademo@pau.edu.tr.
Adem
A
Özkan
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Pamukkale University Hospital, Denizli, 20070, Pamukkale, Turkey.
Adem
A
Topkara
Department of Pathology, Pamukkale University Hospital, Denizli, Turkey.
Metin
M
Akbulut
Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Pamukkale University Hospital, Denizli, 20070, Pamukkale, Turkey.
Ramazan Hakan
RH
Özcan
D000818:Animals; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002483:Cellulose, Oxidized / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D051445:Fibrocartilage / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D011817:Rabbits; D011897:Random Allocation; D012225:Rhinoplasty / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
D002483:Cellulose, Oxidized; C013695:Surgicel
Diced cartilage; Minced cartilage; Rabbit; Surgicel fibrillar; Viability