Do irradiated homologous costal cartilage grafts last forever?

Question

I’m East Asian with a very flat nose bridge, and I recently had a consultation for a rhinoplasty. The surgeon recommended using donor rib cartilage to build my bridge. If I move forward with this surgery, will the results be permanent? It seems that articles/studies on using irradiated costal cartilage report very different results; some studies say that this type of graft resorbs drastically, while other studies say it resorbs minimally.

Jeffrey Lisiecki, MD · Answer

The answer to this question depends a lot on if they are talking about using irradiated donor rib (which is an older material that isn't used much any more) or fresh frozen donor rib (which is more commonly used now for a variety of reasons). Studies on fresh frozen donor rib show that it holds up very favorably, while the older irradiated rib had problems with resorption.

Donald B. Yoo, MD, FACS · Answer

Tissue from your own body (autologous grafts) will give you a safer, more permanent result than synthetic implants. While en bloc cartilage grafts, especially from the rib, can warp over time, but there are ways to eliminate this problem.  Especially for dorsal augmentation (building up the bridge) using cartilage that is finely diced and wrapped in fascia taken from your scalp can be made into a custom size and shape for your particular nose (DCF). By dicing the cartilage the problem of warping is eliminated, and since it is tissue from your own body, it quickly becomes incorporated into your nose within 2-3 weeks. Results are certainly surgeon dependent, so it's important to do your research in finding an Asian rhinoplasty specialist. @drdonyoo @asianrhinoplasty

Celal Alioglu, MD · Answer

Hello first of all we need to see your photos than I can share my opinions with you maybe we can solve the problem without cartilage

Do irradiated homologous costal cartilage grafts last forever?

Answers (3)

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