EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL-STUDY ON THE VITALITY OF ORTHOTOPIC CARTILAGE TRANSPLANTS

Orthotopic cartilage transplants are performed in the course of numero us rhinosurgical operations. Precondition of a permanent success of th e operation is preservation of vitality of the transplanted cartilage. Although numerous study results of heterotopic cartilage transplants exist, corresponding examinations in orthotopic transplants have not b een done so far. Therefore, in 33 rabbits we did a partial submucous s eptumresection and put the cartilage back between the mucosal wall. Af ter 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 weeks, the animals were killed and the cartilag e histologically proved. These results were compared to analogous huma n biopsies. Cartilage reintegration showed a characteristic picture. I n the rabbit, the replanted cartilage was healed and stable after 3 mo nths in each case. During reintegration, appositional growth started f rom the inner perichondrium. With microangio-graphical examinations, w e were able to demonstrate that the speed of reintegration increased w ith decreasing distance of the cartilage cell from the blood vessels. We managed to confirm the experimental results in human cartilage biop sies.