THE USE OF PERICHONDRIAL CUTANEOUS GRAFTS TO REPAIR DEFECTS OF THE LOWER 3RD OF THE NOSE

The reconstruction of surgical defects on the nasal tip and nasal ala which require both skin coverage and underlying support is often a com plex surgical problem, The perichondrial cutaneous graft (PCCG) is a c omposite graft of skin and perichondrium harvested from the conchal bo wl of the ear, Tt is an excellent alternative to full-thickness skin g rafts and local naps for reconstructing defects of the lower third of the nose, This composite graft, which is composed of epidermis, dermis , a small amount of subcutaneous tissue, and the underlying perichondr ium, yields excellent cosmetic and functional results in a simple, sin gle-stage, out-patient procedure. This article describes and illustrat es the repair of surgical defects on the nasal tip and nasal ala using the PCCG.