Can Existing Septal Cartilage Grafts Be Reused in Revision Rhinoplasty?

The answer is - yes, you can certainly recycle septal cartilage grafts used in a prior rhinoplasty procedure. But this assumes that you are taking out the previously placed grafts because they are not needed or wanted in their current position. 

Depending on what needs to be done to your nose, the cartilage grafts that are needed will vary.  It's unlikely that the existing graft will be sufficient, but then if your revision entails only minor changes perhaps they will be.

Yes, it is possible to reuse septal cartilage that has already been placed in your original surgery. However, this presumes that you need to remove those grafts. It's often best to be prepared to have additional cartilage harvested from elsewhere (ear or rib) in case you need more grafts placed.

I have had the opportunity to reuse several misplaced tip grafts during revision rhinoplasty surgery. Specifically, I have used a misplaced, extended shield graft as a columellar strut for maintaining tip support.

I would think that a spreader graft might be too thin to reuse, and removing it may lead to an indentation in the mid-bridge of your nose.

Hope this is helpful.

Dr. Joseph

That being said, grafts may be reused but they also may be thin and may have partially disolved. I always get consent to use ear cartilage for such a case to be sure. What also can yield more graft material is by using an open approach. This allows us to come from the top of the septum and very often find more cartilage.