Pilot preliminary study on the morpho-functional integration level of the auricle elastic cartilage transplanted in different tissue structures.

BACKGROUND The nose is a complex and defining organ not only for its respiratory, olfactory and phonatory function but also for facial esthetics. It is plastic and reconstructive techniques are at the same time an otorhinolaryngological issue and an interdisciplinary one. MATERIALS AND METHODS Among the materials used for reconstructive-reparatory surgery of the nose, we can distinguish the elastic ear cartilage transplant from patients own auricle. By analogy, we used in our experiment the rabbit ear as donor site and three radically different types of tissue as integrating structures. The modifications of the cartilages transplanted into abdominal subcutaneous tissue, muscles of the hip and under the skull periosteum were monitored through monthly sacrificing of the experimental animals. RESULTS No matter of the presence or lack of own perichondrium coverage the cartilage pieces showed radical transformation to total changes in structure from perichondral fibrosis to endochondral ossification and even complete resorption. CONCLUSIONS We consider that at least a part of the reconstructive and esthetic plastic surgery failure comes from not knowing these significant changes that take place on the insertion site of own transplanted cartilage. The future surgical guidelines should remember the phenomena described for the first time in our research.