Four Limb Shaped Auricular Chondrocutaneous Composite Graft for the Alar and the Columellar Defects.
10.14730/aaps.2017.23.3.149
- Author:
Seok Min YOON
1
;
Da Woon LEE
;
Seung Min NAM
;
Syeo Young WEE
;
Hyun Gyo JEONG
;
Chang Yong CHOI
Author Information
1. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Soonchunhyang Gumi Hospital, Gumi, Korea. 73120@schmc.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Cartilage;
Helix;
Reconstructive surgical procedures
- MeSH:
Cartilage;
Extremities*;
Reconstructive Surgical Procedures;
Skin;
Transplants*
- From:Archives of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
2017;23(3):149-154
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Composite grafts have advantages for small nasal defect coverage. However, if the the outer skin defect and the inner skin defect have a different location, conventional composite grafts encounter considerable limitations. Therefore, we devised a 4-limbed graft to overcome this limitation by use of soft tissue transposition. METHODS: Over the course of 5 years, this auricular composite graft was used in 10 cases of reconstruction. We harvested skin and cartilage from the helix. The composite graft had 2 limbs of soft tissue to cover the nasal defect and another 2 limbs of cartilage to support nasal framework. The cartilage limbs extended 3 to 5 mm beyond the margin of the skin. The direction of each limb was modified according to defect position. RESULTS: All 10 composite grafts survived completely. All composite grafts shrank by a small percentage of their bulk. Nonetheless, the nasal framework was maintained to an acceptable extent because of the cartilage limbs. CONCLUSIONS: This technique was capable not only of covering defects in the alar and columellar area, but also of maintaining a satisfactory external appearance, because the 2 limbs of cartilage included in the graft strengthened the nasal framework and provided modest support to the nostril margin. The 2 limbs of soft tissue covered the defect area. Our 4-limbed auricular chondrocutaneous composite graft is reliable option for the reconstruction of alar and columellar defects in a single-stage procedure.
