Donated rib cartilage vs my own rib cartilage for Asian rhino?

Having utilized cadaver rib for both support grafts and bridge augmentation with diced cartilage fascia in patients who do not want to undergo rib harvest for the past two years, they have held up well so far.  What's not clear is what the long term effects will be over decades.

Cartilage can either come from the patient's ear or rib or from a cadaver.  If the cartilage is harvested from the cadaver, it is radiated to make sure there is no chance of any kind of transmittable disease. The benefit of using the cadaver cartilage is that it saves time and the extra healing that is involved with taking cartilage from the patient’s ear or the patient’s rib.  If rib harvest is your only option, this harvest is not insignificant and has complications of its own such as warping and pneumothorax.  I typically use septal and ear cartilage, but it you need rib cartilage it is better to use your own.

Donated rib cartilage is a good choice for people who do not want an incision on their chest and also don't want to use implants. The biggest drawback for donated rib is the unpredictable absorption. Since it is not part of your body, it can undergo absorption and lead to future shape change.  So when consider using donated rib, it is probably best to combine it with some native cartilage material from your septum or ear to mix it up a bit. 

Using autologous grafts (tissue and cartilage from your own body) will provide the safest and most permanent results.Consult with 2-3 of these surgeons in person and determine your comfort level with their approach, demeanor, and before and after results. Good luck.

If you compare these two, I prefer autogenous one. Donated rib is just a framework and the chondrocytes are all dead. Resorption is not predictable at all, varying from little resorption to severe resorption. Because you don't know the original cartilage quality where it came from, you cannot predict the resorption. It also needs thicker slice compared to the autogenous one when you want it for support or splinting purposes, and this makes the tip or columella thicker when you use to modify the tip. It may be better than silicone but definitely autogenous one is better if you want to avoid alloplast. Thanks.